A pair of 11-year-old twins with ADHD, who began fundraising for charity by running through muddy fields, have been nominated for a Queen’s Birthday Honours award.
Ruben and Elena Evans-Guillen from Warrington have taken on an extraordinary range of physical challenges since they were six years old. They have now raised over £46k for the NHS and NHS-related charities.
The twins, who go to St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, hope to help lessen the stigma around ADHD and raise awareness for its positives. Over the past five years, they have run, swam, trekked and climbed during their weekends to raise money for charity.
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The twins’ dad, Mark Evans-Guillen, said: “It’s one of those situations where it’s overwhelming and just incredible. We’re completely overjoyed and over the moon.
“The twins feel pure excitement about being named and they’re very happy.”
Mark, 47, who is an office worker locally, said Elena and Ruben began to raise money to channel all their energy into something positive. It now keeps the family busy most weekends, giving them a focus - and the children a sense of purpose.
He said his children are down to earth and humble. Elena loves dancing, singing and acting and wants to be a film star. Ruben takes part in modern pentathlons, athletics and running and hopes to become a fireman.
The twins’ fundraising has included running a massive 100km over 2018 – spending most of their weekends running around 5k at a time. This helped raise money for a children’s play area at Warrington Hospital.
In 2019 they began trekking for a mental health services CAMHS room. In 2021 they took part in 100 acts of kindness in the region, working with food banks, charities and animal shelters, collecting clothes and delivering easter eggs with the hope of putting a smile on people’s faces.
They also took part in a ‘Summer Superhero’ challenge with Stephen Miller, a three-time gold medal winner in the Paralympics. They did a decathlon of summer events which took them out of their comfort zone and involved activities such as rock climbing. The superhero challenges meant the twins raised money for essential equipment during covid.
Mark said: “These experiences have made them who they are today and it’s a humbling journey we’ve been blessed to be on.
“If you or your family is going through a diagnosis of ADHD you may feel a bit lost or like there’s a mountain to climb because it can be such a difficult time for families. It would be the most amazing thing if they could take a little bit of Elena and Ruben’s journey and feel inspired and see things a bit differently.”
