Sporting world bids final farewell to MND campaigner

Hundreds have paid their respects at the funeral of a campaigner and fundraiser for research into motor neurone disease (MND).

Former triathlete and Nottingham Forest fan Sam Perkins, from East Leake, Nottinghamshire, was diagnosed with the condition in 2019, aged 37, and died last month.

He raised more than £250,000 for research through his charity Stand Against MND.

On Monday, members of the sporting world joined his family and friends to say one final goodbye.

Among those who attended were former English triathlete Chrissie Wellington, a member of the triathlete community, Steve Cooper, the former Nottingham Forest and Leicester City manager, as well as film producer and Nottingham Forest director Jonny Owen.

Mr Owen has described Mr Perkins as a "brilliant human being" who loved the game of football and Nottingham Forest.

"The most important thing for him was to keep watching Nottingham Forest for as long as he could, and he did.

"He came right up until just a few weeks ago, I believe.

"We made sure that happened because that was so important to his life.

"And the way that he lived with his condition, he did live with it as well.

"He did these amazing things with the charity and everything that he did, and the influence that he had on people was astonishing."

Former Forest manager Steve Cooper paid tribute to Mr Perkins at the service and reflected on their time together, which came after the campaigner wrote him a letter.

"It touched me. The letter inspired me to get in contact with him," he said.

"During my time at Forest we got to know each other. Sam became a mate.

"I only knew Sam for a couple of years, but we had a very mutual friendship that I will always be fond of."

Mr Cooper said Mr Perkins was "an incredible guy, a special guy".

"One thing we can all do in life is have an influence on people, and Sam did that," he added.

"He did it with humour, he did it with courage and in the most harsh circumstances.

"On such a sad day, it was a privilege to be here."

Ahead of the funeral, Mr Perkins' mum Helen Rawlings said she was "incredibly proud" of her son's continued commitment to helping others.

"That strength of character and the way he could focus his mind through the six years, from his diagnosis to his passing, astounded all of us," she said.

"Those six years were a journey - the MND world calls it the MND journey, because everybody's journey's different - but what often doesn't get mentioned is the fact that that journey isn't just the individual's journey; it's the journey of his family and his close friends, and it was one hell of a journey.

"We have been mourning the loss of our Sam for six years, and how he managed to do what he did with that life that he had left, I still don't really know."

His sister Victoria Stonehouse said she was "heartbroken" by the loss of her brother, but was proud of his fundraising work.

"I feel incredibly lucky that Sam was my brother," she said.

"To say what he achieved and what he did, and the person he was, and he was ours, was amazing.

"What he leaves behind is an inspiration, or a lesson for us all, that when things are really tough and you feel like you can't, there's a way if you believe in something enough, and he was proof that you can."

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