Loving father to take on charity challenge at Harpenden tennis club

A loving father is taking on a fundraising challenge to raise money for charities that helped his son who was born with a rare condition.

Ben Wood, 29, who is head coach at Elliswick Lawn Tennis Club in Harpenden, is set to take part in a “novelty” challenge in aid of the charities that helped his family after his son Jacob was born with oesophageal atresia and tracheo-oesophageal fistula – a birth defect which affects the tube that passes food from the mouth to the stomach.

He will take part in the ‘5 set challenge’ on November 13, where he will play a round of tennis at five different venues in the St Albans and Harpenden area, running to each venue after playing a set. The challenge involves two and a half hours of tennis and running just under 15km.

Money raised will go to the Sick Children’s trust, a charity that helps parents stay with their children when they are in hospital and tracheo-oesophageal fistula support (TOFS) – a charity that provides support for the families of children born with the same defect as Jacob.

Ben, who has recently celebrated Jacob’s first birthday, said: “I came up with the idea as I wanted to do something different which sort of relates to my job.

“When Jacob was born and his condition discovered, he was transferred to a London hospital and had a life-saving operation within 24 hours of his birth.

“Because of his condition he has been in hospital multiple times and so the two charities have given a lot of help.”

Ben hopes the challenge will not only raise money for the charities, but awareness as well.

For more information or to donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/JacobWood