Amongst the sea of runners at the London Marathon 2022 was a gallant group in green – tackling the race to raise money for Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley.
The brave four wore their Derian House t-shirts with pride as they crossed the finish line that marked the end of the 26.2-mile run – from Greenwich to The Mall – on Sunday (2 October).
Together, the group raised over £2,500 for the children’s hospice.
Dan Tew of Chorley, who just happened to be celebrating his 31st birthday on the day of the race, raised almost £800 for Derian House. He signed up to run the marathon for Derian in 2020, but the race was postponed when COVID hit.
Dan, a social media specialist at the BBC, said: “I’d got halfway through training in 2020 but had to start from scratch after being inactive and eating too much during lockdown. However – I got back up and running for this year. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, it was on my bucket list.
“It’s good to know I did it for a good cause – for Derian House. Because it’s local, I can see all the good they do in the community and the way they care for children and young people. The charity is vital to the people that need it. It was great to be able to do my bit to support them.
“It was an incredible experience. Before you know it, you’re at the start line and you’re off. It’s an amazing feeling when you reach the end and you think back to all the training you did to get to that moment.
“My girlfriend, Hannah, and my parents met me at the finish line – along with some friends who had come down to surprise me. It also happened to fall on my birthday – that’s one way to turn 31!”
Kerry Pritchard, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, said: “It was fantastic to see those Derian t-shirts cross the finish line – well done to everyone who took part!
“Everything raised from the marathon will make a huge difference to the children, young people and families who are cared for by Derian House.
“Care is free for families, but it costs £5.7million a year to run services at Derian House. With just 17% of our funding coming from statuary sources, we rely on the kindness of our incredible supporters.”
You can still donate to Dan’s efforts on his JustGiving page: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/dtew91
Find out more about Derian House: www.derianhouse.co.uk
