Prizes including Luton Town football kit and Samsung tablet up for grabs as Dunstable man holds charity raffle and walk

A man from Dunstable is raising funds for a charity that supports his daughter – with raffle prizes including a Luton Town Football Club kit and a new tablet.

Carl Taylor will be raising money for Kids in Action by walking from Totternhoe to the charity’s base in Boscombe Road, Dunstable with his daughter Eleanor on March 23.

Kids in Action brings joy and positivity to children and adults with special needs. Carl said: “The centre as a whole has made a difference to not just my daughter's life, but to mine also, and if I can repay them for the help they've given to me, and for how they have worked with my daughter, then I will be a happy man.

"My daughter Eleanor said it is the one place outside of family homes where she feels welcomed without any stigma or social awkwardness. She decided to join along as she wants to help contribute her part to the fundraising.”

Alongside the charity walk will be a raffle – with prizes including a signed Luton Town Football Club kit, signed boxing gloves from the Former English Middleweight Champion Linus Udofia, a brand new Samsung Galaxy A8 tablet and vouchers and gifts for many other Luton and Dunstable businesses.

Carl, who was raised in Luton before moving to Dunstable, suffers from lymphoedema and Schamberg's disease. He plans to complete the walk without painkillers or his walking stick.

He said: “On a good day, my calves are around 25 inches in circumference, and a bad day can be anywhere up to 34 inches.

"My Schamberg's disease affects the legs and skin specifically which, although not often painful, can become painful with exercise as it causes blood vessels and blood cells to burst in the affected areas which can cause intense pins and needles for hours on end.”

Carl added: “On a normal day, my legs are in a constant state of aching pains (as if I have just run a 5k race with no prep), and on a bad day it is a lot worse, like shooting and stabbing pains on top.

"This is incredibly painful and debilitating, and it is not an easy task for me to walk for any reasonable distance, and even standing can be crippling, never mind doing anything else.”

2024 will mark 10 years of fundraising for Carl, who has raised around £60,000 over the last decade for multiple charities, including the Red Cross, Keech Hospice, and Prostate Cancer Research.

Carl said: “I want to raise £6500 because that will be a fitting amount. I was raised by my mum and stepdad to look after those less fortunate than myself. If I have something to spare, then I should help out with it.

"Over the years, with the help of friends both online and in-person, we have set up charity streams, raffles, and in-person sponsored events like games sessions, movie marathons, etc, that have raised money and gone directly to good causes.”

Visit Carl’s Facebook fundraising page to donate and find out more about raffle tickets.