A group of female friends from Leyland are raising funds for a local hospice by taking part in this year’s Great North Run.
The team of seven originally came together during the pandemic and have continued to run and support each other since. They’ve now decided to put their energy to good use and run one of the world’s biggest half marathons in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice in Preston.
Among the runners is Sharon Stewart, who works for our Lancashire division at Buckshaw Village, near Chorley.
She explained: “Apart from Alison Morris, this will be the first time we have all taken part in the Great North Run, we are all very excited. Training is going well; we try and get out with the local running club Revolution Running, every week and then do a long run over the weekend.
“We are all ages and abilities, we are not the fittest, nor are we the fastest, but we are hoping to finish it in three hours.”
The Great North Run is a 13.1 route, taking place this year on Sunday, September 11. It starts from the centre of Newcastle and finishes in South Shields. First organised in 1981 by Olympic runner Brendan Foster, it now attracts 60,000 runners every year and is shown on TV.
Apart from Sharon, the others taking part are Wendi Whittle, Sheila Henshaw, Ann-Marie Bradshaw, Charlotte Mason, Alison Morris and Alison Roscoe.
St Catherine’s Hospice is a charity that Sharon already supports, as we have donated money and carried out building makeovers for them in the past.
“I work closely with St Catherine’s through Redrow, and our running coach works there, but it is also a charity that is very close to all our hearts, with relatives being cared for there in the past,” Sharon added.
“Three of our place entries were also given to us by St Catherine’s Hospice, so we are determined to raise some money.”
If you would like to sponsor the group, please visit their Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RunningBuddies37to69
