Man attempts 300 press-ups every day for a year to remember mum who had MS

A software engineer is attempting to do 300 press-ups every day this year to raise £10,000 for charity and remember his mother, who had multiple sclerosis (MS) and died in May.

Alex Welford, 25, from Bristol, has challenged himself to complete 100,000 press-ups over the year to raise money for the MS Society, a charity focusing on increasing research into the disease and offering support for those who live with the condition.

Mr Welford’s mother, Alison Welford, died in May aged 66, having lived with MS for more than 40 years, but it was only in the last few years that her condition began to deteriorate, though she “never complained”.

“It wasn’t a great life but, nevertheless, she was an absolute trouper and she would always force a smile and never really complained,” he told the PA news agency.

He is averaging 300 press-ups a day and has completed the exercise in unusual places to ensure he is on track, including “on the side of the road in Tunisia, in hostels, in airports, on an easyJet plane and on a train to London”.

“At the start of the year I was quite nervous. I was trying to do them in my room and away from people,” he said.

“But I’ve definitely learned to just not worry; I would never see myself doing it on an aeroplane.”

The workout can take up to an hour to complete, but he feels he has to be disciplined because “as soon as you miss one day you’re ramping up to an insane number to get back on track.”

“I’ve got to a point where it’s the first thing I think about when I wake up. I almost get anxiety if I don’t get them done,” he said.

The software engineer, who grew up in Cornwall, raised £2,500 for the MS Society last year by doing 100 press-ups every day in January 2023.

He enjoyed the routine of working out daily and challenged himself to complete 100,000 press-ups across 2024, to raise £10,000 for the charity.

Mrs Welford’s condition worsened about five years ago when she began losing the ability to speak, which Mr Welford said was difficult as his mother was “an absolute chatterbox”, and she then had to be fed via a tube.

He said caring for his mother has made him more resilient, but he found it hard to offer her support when she often wanted independence.

“(Being a carer) definitely raises your resilience because you’re having to crack on with it because there’s not really much else as an option,” he said.

“It’s a really tough balance of keeping someone’s independence, but keeping them safe as well.

“I think the last five or six years really resonated with that, where I think we finally won in our bid to keep her safe, but she lost in her battle for independence.”

He hopes his fundraiser will help further research into finding a cure for MS.

“I think the main motivator with the whole MS Society for me is just making sure that anyone doesn’t have to experience the same state of life that my mum went through, especially towards the end,” he said.

Mr Welford described his mother as an “incredibly resilient, really confident” woman who “never gave up” and said he hoped her journey can inspire others not to take life for granted.

“No matter the situation, she would push through and never let anything stop her from living a normal life,” he said.

“I think a lot of people day to day might complain about small, menial things but don’t zoom out and look at the overall, holistic picture.

“I think we could all be a bit tougher.”

Mr Welford, who set up his GoFundMe in January 2024, has so far raised more than £4,500 of his £10,000 target.

To find out more about his fundraiser, you can visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/2b3h9t-alexs-fund-for-multiple-sclerosis-society.