Devoted United fan Martin Hywood who lives with a rare muscle-wasting condition will walk one of the toughest miles of his life this Saturday when he walks to Elland Road, in a bid to help others keep moving for longer.

Martin (40) from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire has limb girdle muscular dystrophy, a condition which causes muscles to weaken and waste over time, leading to increasing disability. He tells how walking a mile is like running a Marathon for his weakened legs. Yet before Saturday's game with Bolton Wanderers, at 1pm this Saturday (30 August), Martin plans to make a gruelling journey from Holbeck Moor Park to Elland Road Stadium, finishing his mile-long walk at the statue of Leeds United legend, Billy Bremner – and he is asking fellow Leeds fans to join him.

Martin hopes his challenge will raise thousands of pounds towards the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s work funding groundbreaking research into muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions and supporting the 70,000 families affected by them in the UK.

The life-long United supporter and dad of three received hundreds of messages of support from fellow fans after first speaking out about his condition in 2012, when he wrote for fan site and programme contributor 'Right in the Gary Kellys' about his determination to push on through agonising pain and burning muscles that left him “close to tears”, in order to see his beloved Whites play. He has gone on to write regularly on issues affecting people with muscle-wasting conditions, as well as offering support to families across his home county after training to become a Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Advocacy Advisor.

Martin, said: “I am always pushing myself, simply by doing everyday tasks. My walk will take me far from my comfort zone, but I’d like to show family and friends that things are possible, despite the adversity that we might face. To challenge yourself and to raise vital funds along the way is a good thing.

“My mile is very significant. It’s a journey I’ve made many times and means the world to me, as it has been a very big part of my life. The sight of the Leeds United badge always puts a smile on my face and I will be drawing on this as I walk towards Elland Road. The club anthem of Leeds United is ‘Marching On Together’ and this is why I’m calling on all Leeds fans to walk with me on 30 August. It will be the biggest challenge of my life and I know I’ll need the support. All the help will be greatly appreciated and will hopefully get me to Billy Bremner’s statue.”

Martin is among hundreds of people all over the country moving their own mile between 23 and 31 August for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s Move a Mile for Muscles fundraising event. By moving a fundraising mile to somewhere special, covering a famous mile by powered wheelchair, running a mile for the first time or finding their own unique way to cover the distance, they will be helping to fund the charity’s work and to keep others moving for longer.

Robert Meadowcroft, Chief Executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: “Martin deserves enormous support for his mile to Elland Road. He is enduring an extremely painful and difficult physical feat to make a difference to the lives of others.

“There are thousands of people in the UK of all ages who are slowly losing their mobility, owing to a muscle-wasting condition. For some, at an early age, the muscles of their hearts or chests will struggle to keep moving too. We are determined to stop muscles wasting. Please join Martin and Move a Mile for Muscles during the last week of August to help us fund treatments, support and equipment, and keep muscles moving for longer.”

Martin has written about his challenge; you can read more about his mile here: http://martinhywood.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-walk.html

To support Martin, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/Martin-Hywood1

To find out more about how people are going to Move a mile for muscles, and how you can get involved, visit www.muscular-dystrophy.org/moveamile

Martin is hoping to complete his walk and make it to the Bremner statue inbetween 1.30pm and 2pm on Saturday, also Martin will be introduced to the Elland Road crowd before kick off.