A sales manager from Stockport is once again putting his best foot forward to raise even more funds for Greater Manchester based Francis House Children’s Hospice.
Left: Steve Higginson, Nick Rose, John Starkey at Francis House in training for the London marathon
Midshire’s Nick Rose has already raised tens of thousands of pounds including a world-record beating 72 hour football event in 2013 raising over £46,000. Then in 2014, along with other high profile business leaders from Manchester, Nick participated in the Can You Sing Manchester singing competition.
This year Nick is being joined by Midshire Business Systems colleague John Starkey and fellow F72 football challenge player and next door neighbour Steve Higginson are joining 40,000 other runners at the start line of the Virgin London Marathon on April 26.
Nick, 28, said:
“The charity is very close to my heart, my younger sister has friends that go to Francis House for respite care, and it is a marvellous place. Steve, John and I are all first timers in the London Marathon. We all did the Manchester Marathon last year which I completed in just under 4 hours. I’d like to do 3 hours 45 minutes but I’ll just be happy to get round.”
Steve Higginson, 35, a project manager, in the finance department at ITV Media City, said:
“Nick is a very persistent man, that’s how I got involved in the World Record football attempt.
“I’ve done other runs and the London to Paris bike ride, and a lot of people do them for a charity they’ve been personally affected by. I thought what a shame that people have to wait until something happens to them to get involved. So I committed to myself that I’d try and do something as often as I could and to get involved when the opportunity came up.”
Nick and Steve are running together for two hours every Saturday morning and have passed the half marathon stage in their training.
John, 41, a copier engineer from Wigan, admitted finding the training tough going:
“You get up early for work, come home late, the house is nice and warm, the dog cuddles up to you on the couch, and your favourite footy team is on the telly. You then think I’ve got to go and do an hour and a half run.
“Then when you are out running, twenty minutes in its tough and you want to just stop and go home and watch the match, but you drive on.”
Their experience on the Manchester Marathon last year hasn’t put them off. All completed the 26.2 mile course with Steve coming in quickest with a time of three and a half hours.
Steve said:
“In the Manchester Marathon about four miles from the end I was dying the death, and then someone dressed as banana man came past me and I thought I’m not having that.
“I managed to stay with banana man for about half a mile but he was going far too quickly for me, so I thought he’s just a better runner. When I got to the finishing line and he’d beat me by quite a good way, I was thinking I’ve just been beaten by banana man, gutted.
“Then I got my medal, went through to the baggage reclaim and as I looked across the car park there were four blokes, all stood talking to each other, all dressed as banana man. I’d been trying to chase a team running in relay!” said Steve.
“It took me 23 miles just to take over a guy dressed as a Smurf,” added John.
Also running the marathon in support of Francis House is Sarah Louise Taylor from Burnage. The four runners are turning to family and friends and commercial suppliers hoping to raise over £8,000 in combined sponsorship.
Nick added:
“When you’re running you think this is great, what a brilliant achievement, and when you look around and you see loads of other people who have got a challenge as well, whether they might be a little bit older or dressed in a costume, it’s just incredible what everyone is achieving.”
Francis House cares for over 370 sick children, teenagers and young adults with a short life expectancy. It provides support, friendship and short breaks of respite care for the whole family. The hospice needs over £3.6 million in charitable donations each year to continue to provide and expand its services.
Anyone interested in challenging themselves for Francis House can visit
www.francishouse.org.uk/running-and-cycling-for-francis-house/
or call Emma in the fundraising office on 0161 443 2200