Two members of staff from Midshire recently ran the Greater Manchester marathon in aid of two children’s charities.
Sales Manager Nick Rose (27, from Stockport) and Engineer John Starkey (30, from Liverpool) have taken on this mammoth task to help causes close to their hearts.
Both Nick (right) and John far left) trained incredibly hard to complete the 38th Manchester marathon, Nick in just under 4 hours and John in 4 hours and 20 minutes. The Trafford based 26.2 mile course is the flattest in the UK and lends itself well to a good, fast race.
Nick Rose ran to support Valley School in Stockport. The school first opened in 1979 and continues to support primary school aged children with complex and severe special educational needs. The school stands by the motto ‘Small steps, giant strides’ and strives to create a learning environment that celebrates achievement.
John Starkey supported Zoe’s Place, a charity that provides respite and end of life care to babies and infants up to the age of five years old who are suffering from life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Zoe’s Place hospices are the only baby specific hospices in the UK. The Liverpool hospice was the first to be opened in 1995.
Nick raised £1,000 for Valley School, which has been very gratefully received.
Juliet Doherty, School Business Manager at Valley School said:
‘We just want to say a massive thank you for choosing Valley as your sponsor and £1000 is an amazing amount to receive.’
John raised £706 for Zoe’s Place and is hoping to take his total even higher.
“For me this journey started back in May 2013 when I rejoined my local gym. Two of my ultra competitive friends decided to do the Manchester 100 mile bike ride and egged me on to enter the Manchester marathon. The decision of which charity to run for was either Alder Hey because my sister is on the board of governors or Zoe’s Place because my cousin raises money for them. After seeing Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard donate £500,000 to Alder Hey I decided on Zoe’s Place. This is such a worthwhile charity, which relies on donations to survive. In fact £1.3 million is needed every year to keep going.”
Midshire Marketing Manager, Adrienne Topping said:
‘Midshire employees are always on the lookout for opportunities to help local charities. They have already raised over £5,000 this year, and are hoping to increase this total in the near future.’
To donate to Zoe’s Place please visit: Www.justgiving.com/john-starkey74
To donate to Valley School please contact Nick Rose on 0161 494 3370