Blackpool owner Simon Sadler makes generous donation to Jay Spearing's '100k in May' challenge

The 31-year-old tasked himself with running 100,000km this month to raise money for a charity close to his heart, the Darby Rimmer Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Foundation.

On Saturday, the midfielder took to Twitter to reveal he had reached the 91,000km mark.

Spearing, who had hoped to raise £1,000, has already tripled that figure with a little help from Blackpool’s owner Sadler, who generously donated £888.

“Jay, you’re a fantastic captain and number 8,” Sadler wrote on Spearing’s Just Giving page.

“Good on you for supporting such a worthwhile foundation.”

This is not the first time Sadler has donated to a charitable cause involving the Seasiders, having handed over £1,300 to the Muckers Supporters’ Group last year.

A handful of the group’s members took part in a mammoth bike ride from the Eiffel Tower to the Blackpool Tower to raise money for local causes.

The MND charity was set up by Spearing’s former Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers teammate Stephen Darby alongside his close friend Chris Rimmer.

Darby was forced to retire from football in 2018 when he was diagnosed with MND - a fatal disease which progressively weakens the brain and nerves, and can impact the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe.

Darby, who is married to England Women's star Steph Houghton, came through the youth ranks at Liverpool alongside Spearing.

“Can’t wait to get started - this is such a special cause and I’m proud to support two close friends of mine,” Spearing posted to Twitter when he launched the challenge.

A number of Spearing’s Blackpool teammates have already contributed generously along with several Pool fans.

The MND Foundation has raised almost £150,000 in total thanks to his challenge.

“There is no known cause of MND and there is no cure or effective treatment, it's always fatal,” Spearing’s JustGiving page states.

“There is a serious lack of awareness and more importantly funding. The Darby Rimmer Foundation aims to raise awareness of the disease whilst fundraising to support those affected and fund much-needed research.

“There is a lot of research going on and the signs are promising for treatments in the future.

“Anything that you can donate to help us achieve our fundraising target would be AMAZING and GREATLY appreciated!”

This is not the first time Spearing has raised awareness of Darby’s charity.

Last year, the midfielder scaled the ‘Big One’ rollercoaster at Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach to take part in a social media challenge.

Spearing, Mark Howard and others videoed themselves climbing on board the famous ride, where they sang the “Stephen Darby baby” chant to the tune of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me Baby”.

To donate to Spearing’s latest fundraiser, visit his JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jayspearing100k