Bristol man to enter Finnish ice race in memory of twin cousins

A man is preparing to enter an ice-skating marathon in Finland in memory of his twin cousins - despite having almost no skating practice.

Lloyd Kembrey's relatives, Francesca and Josephine, were born with the life-limiting condition, Sanfilippo disease Type A.

They were cared for by Jessie May, a children's hospice charity, which Lloyd is raising money for.

"I haven't learned right turns yet, so I'll just keep going left," he joked.

Mr Kembrey, 26, from Bristol, will be skating 50km (31 miles) around a frozen lake in the city of Kuopio in temperatures as low as -16C.

He has only logged 10 hours' skating time in his life so far.

The marathon skate is among 12 challenges he wants to compete in 12 months.

"We'll also be climbing Mount Everest on a climbing wall, running the London and Edinburgh marathons, racing a horse in the Welsh mountains for 20 miles, rowing to France, and doing a 24-hour bike ride around Europe," he said.

The girls died as teenagers in 2006 and 2009. They were born with the rare brain disease which has recently been the subject of UK research.

Mr Kembrey has been raising money for Jessie May since he was aged six.

"Their nurses gave fantastic respite to my aunt and uncle when I was younger.

"They came to love the girls as much as the rest of the family did, and we cannot thank them enough," he said.

Jessie May works with 150 families in the Bristol and Bath area. The charity says its mission is to provide the best care and support possible for youngsters with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, as well as for their families.

Kim James-Coggins from Jessie May praised Mr Kembrey's work for the charity.

"I hope he comes back safe because he's got to go straight to the Three Peaks challenge and the London Marathon when he returns," she said.

"I'm proud of him, it's a massive challenge, but I will be relieved when he's back on British soil with no plaster casts."

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