A Mansfield man is taking part in the SUBWAY Helping Hearts™ Family 5K in Sheffield on 20th September to raise funds for national charity Heart Research UK after the death of his father from heart disease aged 63.

Mark Honeywood, 31, a charity worker for adults with learning disabilities, and his two daughters, Sariah, 8, and Aaliyah, 7, will be joined by hundreds of other families at the SUBWAY Helping Hearts™ Family 5K in Endcliffe Park.

Mark wanted to take part in the event to support the work of Heart Research UK, a charity that funds pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease, after losing his father, Stephen, to heart disease in 2014.

Mark’s father had a close relationship with Mark’s two daughters, so his death had a huge impact on the whole family. Stephen had been trying to teach his granddaughters Turkish, having bought a holiday home in Turkey that the family would visit. They would call Stephen ‘Gule Gule’, meaning goodbye in Turkish.

Sariah and Aaliyah were also inspired to take part in the 5K event by their best friend, Martha, 8. Martha was diagnosed with coaracation of the aorta – a narrowing of the heart’s main artery – at just two weeks old, along with a number of other heart problems.

Mark said: “As soon as I told the girls about the event, they shouted out that they wanted to do it for Martha and granddad.”

“As a family, we try to eat healthily and exercise and it’s so important for children to run around outside instead of sitting in front of the TV. My girls are so keen to do the event and I am a very proud daddy.”

The SUBWAY Helping Hearts™ Family 5Kwill be a new challenge for the family as they have never attended an event like this before. Mark’s daughters are particularly excited about taking park in the fun run.

The Honeywood family’s story is just one example of how shocking, sudden and life changing the effects of heart disease can be. Every penny raised will go directly back into the local community to help fund the Heart Research UK and SUBWAY® Healthy Heart Grant scheme; an initiative that
provides funding of up to £10,000 to local community groups across the UK to encourage them to lead healthy lifestyles and ultimately, look after their hearts.

After the fun run, runners will be able to enjoy a fun day out with a variety of free entertainment including a bouncy castle, face painting and a delicious SUBWAY® lunch.

Go to 5ksubway.com for race information and to register