PEOPLE of Westbury are taking to the streets to raise money for local charities by running the Bath Half marathon on Sunday 2nd March.
Karen Wilkin and Ali Wood, owners of The Hair Company in Westbury are raising money for the Ronald McDonald House Charity in Bristol. Ian Ferrie is raising money for Clic Sargent, and Mayor David Windess is running for Bath Cats and Dogs Home.
This will be Karen Wilkin’s first half marathon and Ali’s second, previously running it in 2012. They have chosen to donate any money raised for Ronald McDonald saying, “It is a lifeline when you have a sick child. They provide free accommodation to parents whose children are sick. It is a charity close to our hearts and one which may unfortunately have to be used again.”
Currently Karen and Ali have raised £300 but they hope to double this amount. To sponsor Karen and Ali please pick up a sponsorship form from The Hair Company. There is also a ‘guess the amount of sweet laces’ in the shop for £1 a go. All money goes towards the Ronald McDonald charity.
Iain Ferrie, will be running his third Bath Half Marathon, having previously taken part in 2010 and 2011. He is part of a group called, ‘Team Sumo’. Iain explained, “It started out as just myself and a friend entering, but through word of mouth and social media that number has grown somewhat to 17!
“We are all running and raising money for the children’s cancer charity, Clic Sargent. In 2007 my son, Ben, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumour when he was 18 months old. He died in 2008 just two months after his second birthday and in his memory, my wife and I set up an Especially For You online fundraising page. We want to raise as much as we can so that Clic can continue to offer the same invaluable support that our family received during Ben’s illness.
“Clic Sargent provided accommodation at both Sam’s House and Clic House which enabled our family to remain as close as possible during much of Ben’s stays in Bristol Children’s Hospital. Finally, Clic nurses from Bath supported us to ensure Ben was able to remain at home during his final two weeks.
“We would like to raise as much money as we can so that Clic can continue to offer their invaluable support to families in similar circumstances. This is only the newest chapter in our ongoing fundraising for Ben’s page. The minimum pledge is to raise £200 per person. That means we’re at £3,400 before we even start.”
Mayor of Westbury, cllr David Windess is also running and taking on the challenge of his first half marathon. The Mayor is raising money for Bath Cats and Dogs Home. He has already raised £380 for the charity, but hopes to raise more in the coming weeks.
