Why this Leeds runner is tackling the London Marathon for ‘wonderdog' Chester

Ashley Welsford was just 18 when his younger brother Alex was matched with a life-changing support dog.

This Sunday, he’s lacing up his trainers for a 26.2-mile "thank you" to the charity that helped his brother find his voice.

While thousands of runners take to the streets of the capital this Sunday, 28-year-old Ashley will be fuelled by a decade of gratitude.

An electrician from South Milford, Ashley is running his first London Marathon to raise money for the Yorkshire-based national charity, Support Dogs.

His inspiration is his 14-year-old brother, Alex Duthie, and a superstar Labrador named Chester.

When Alex was diagnosed with autism at the age of four, the future felt uncertain. He was non-verbal, housebound, and lacked a sense of danger, making even the simplest trip outside a high-risk ordeal for his parents, Anna and Adrian.

That changed when Support Dogs matched a six-year-old Alex with Chester.

“I saw first-hand how much Chester improved Alex’s quality of life,” Ashley says. “He helped him navigate the world, which was much harder for Alex than other little boys. He gave him a safety net, which allowed him to go out and explore new things, which may not have been possible without his support dog.”

The ‘wonderdog’ didn't just keep Alex safe; he helped him access the outside world, eventually leading to Alex learning to speak, with the impact so profound that the family even appeared on ITV’s This Morning to highlight the transformation.

For the rest of the family, Chester was a game-changer.

“Chester gave them an extra set of eyes, which were always on Alex” Ashley explains.

“My dad would often work in London too and having Chester gave Anna the confidence to take Alex out and about on days out, removing any worries as they knew Chester was on hand to make sure Alex was safe.”

After 10 years of dedicated service, Chester has recently retired, remaining with the family as a beloved pet. But for Ashley, the mission is now to ensure other families get the same support.

“We couldn’t be more grateful for Chester over the last 10 years, and as Alex's big brother, I wanted to do something to raise money and awareness of autism and give another child the chance to have their own support dog and best friend, just as Alex did!”

Ashley’s mum, Anna, added: “We’re not sure where we would be without Chester and the incredible help we received from Support Dogs.

“We’re so proud of Ashley taking on this challenge. It hasn’t been easy, but Ashley has seen how much Chester has helped all of us over the years and is excited to give something back.”

Ashley has already raised over £2,000 of his £2,500 target. You can support his debut marathon run via his fundraising page.