Charity golf day in memory of Middlesbrough man who died from MND
People will be at Brancepeth Castle in Durham to fundraise
Friends and family of a Teesside man who died with motor neurone disease are gathering today to remember him.
Keen golfer Dean Fox, who was 55 and from Middlesbrough, was diagnosed in 2023 - just months after being told he had cancer - and he passed away a year later.
Today a charity golf day's taking place at Brancepeth Castle in Durham to fundraise.
Christine Fox is Dean's wife: "My heart goes out to so many families who have MNDA. I have no words for that really because it's a time in your life where it's like a peace, and that sounds wrong to say that, but there's a peace where you have to just take stock of what's important in that short period of time and it is family and memories.
"I just think everybody wants to help. The kindness shows through the men and obviously the ladies and we're getting more ladies there. I'd love to play but obviously I don't think that's allowed but one year I'm definitely going to play because obviously I played with Dean and I do miss it now and again.
"It's got a good vibe, it's got a good spirit about it, and it's they all know, obviously, we do a lot for MNDA, and they just know it's just a day for them to, I suppose, feel that spirit with Dean while they're playing, and you can feel that vibe."
They set up the Dean Fox MND Foundation is his memory and to honour his legacy.
Christine added: "If there is people out there that probably just don't know where to go, like I was one of them persons when Dean got diagnosed, you get all this information thrown at you, which is good, but it's also very overwhelming and overwhelm takes over sometimes and that did happen to me.
"If I had somebody local that I could have reached out to at that time, probably I would have. And I think that's obviously why Dean obviously set up the foundation in the first place. Plus I think he had a vision of when he wasn't here, we needed to be busy, keep his good support and keep his legacy going. But for me, I think it's just knowing that there are places out there for people and we are obviously local to North East, but then what's happened is it has gone a little bit further and that's okay."