Sheffield man to run half marathon dressed as Marvel hero the Black Panther to raise funds for Chesterfield's Ashgate Hospice

nd when he gets there, he, his brothers and father will all be shaving their heads to raise funds for the hospice, which has cared for their mother since she developed a rare lymphatic condition three years ago.

Salipa Mwelwa, from Wincobank, Sheffield, is planning his S9 to S43 half marathon and head shave on May 24 and will run from his home - which he shares with his wife of three months Georgina - to his parents home in Mastin Moor, Chesterfield.

The 27-year-old Kwikfit technician has already exceeded his £1,000 target, with the help of his brothers Sampala and Mumba, and dad Chola - to show respect for former nurse Loveness, who had to give up her job due to her illness.

The family, which originates from Zambia, have also been dealt a second blow after Loveness was diagnosed with Covid-19, but is thankfully now recovering.

Salipa said: “About three years ago she developed lymphoedema in the left arm; this worsened with time, forcing her to stop work as a nurse, a job she loved dearly.

“Since then, she has been attending lymphoedema and physio clinics at Ashgate Hospice.

“The staff there have been so good and supportive to her.

“Her chemotherapy started in February but after completing one cycle it was suspended because her white blood cell count went down, and then there was the Covid-19 outbreak, which the doctors felt was too risky with the treatment and as a result, our mum soon started to lose her hair.

“We, her children and our dad, want to show our support to her by shaving our hair, including dad's signature moustache.

“All funds raised will go to Ashgate Hospice to help them continue the amazing work they are doing in supporting people like our mum.

To support Salipa in his fundraising bid for Ashgate Hospice, you can click here.

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