Fund supporter to complete three triathlons in three months   

Fundraiser Jonathon Earnshaw is currently taking part in three triathlons over the course of three months to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

29-year-old Jonathon will be taking part in his second of three triathlons, the London Triathlon, on 7 August at the Excel Centre. 

The three triathlons started with the Northumbrian event on 2 July and will end with the toughest one of them all, the Full Geordieman at Druridge Bay Country Park in Northumberland on 3 September, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26 mile run – the same length as a marathon.

Jonathon decided to take on the challenge to support his brother-in-law Andy Layton, and sister Helen Layton, who went through a really difficult time when Andy, without warning or previous medical symptoms, suffered a brain haemorrhage that changed his life. 

Jonathon’s sister Helen was three months pregnant with their little girl Lyra at the time, and was on hand to call for an ambulance, where Andy was transported 60 miles to the nearest big hospital. 

Early mistreatment of the bleed to the brain left Andy fighting for his life. He now has difficulty mobilising, talking, and swallowing, and is fed through a tube. 

Although showing early progress, poor understanding of Andy’s condition and the pandemic taking hold, meant he was often isolated and unable to re-establish neural connections during the key stages of neuroplasticity post-injury.

20 months later, after being moved around three different hospitals in two different countries, Andy was placed in Stanford Hall Military rehabilitation facility for three months that fostered the environment he needed to recover. 

Currently on long-term leave from the RAF, weapon’s technician Corporal Andy Layton has been serving in the RAF since 2008 working on Typhoon planes at RAF Lossiemouth. The family reached out to the RAF Benevolent Fund for support during Andy’s treatment.

Jonathon described the help from the Fund as a beacon of light for the family. The Fund provided a temporary home in Newcastle for Helen when their daughter Lyra was first born, to be closer to Andy and their family during Andy’s rehabilitation. The Fund also provided financial support for the purchase of essential equipment to adapt their home thereafter.

Jonathon was inspired to put himself to the test in support of the trauma his brother-in-law had faced. He said: "I wanted to take on this challenge to echo the perseverance and strength shown by Andy and Helen during their struggles and to raise money for the Fund, a charity which has helped them when they needed it the most."

Jonathon says he has most enjoyed the variety of training for the three different sports, saying: "Triathlete's, in particular open water swimmers, are the kind of people who have a contagious sense of energy and enthusiasm for life – perhaps that's because they train for long periods in cold water.

"My general ethos is to train every day. I am not aiming to compete, only complete. However, I would like to get just under the average time. I will be happy if I complete in six hours for the middle distance and 12-13 for the full distance."

Jonathon continued: "Having a desk job as an engineer I really don't get a chance to challenge myself to my physical limits like someone in Armed Forces or the RAF can do; training and participating in these events gives me a chance to do that."

You can donate to Jonathon's fundraiser on his JustGiving page.

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