Harrogate born stand-up comedian Maisie Adam is set to complete the London Marathon tomorrow to honour a 14-year-old boy who died from bone cancer.
Ms Adam attended the same high school as cancer patient Frank Asthon. Despite not personally knowing him, she was moved by his story and is running the marathon as the patron of Frank’s Fund. She hopes to raise funds to improve outcomes for children like Frank.
Ms Adam said:
“Since becoming a patron of Frank’s Fund, I’ve held comedy nights, raffles, appeared on charity gameshow but this will be my toughest task by a mile. I’ve never run a marathon before in my life, but at least I have the privilege to be here to do it. Frank doesn’t, so this is for him, his family, and everyone affected by this horrendous disease.”
Frank Ashton was 11 years old when he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a form of primary bone cancer, in April 2016.
His treatment involved 14 cycles of chemotherapy, two months of proton beam therapy carried out in the US, and an 8-hour operation to remove the tumour and a large section of his pelvis.
In September 2017, when Frank was five months in remission, his family received the news that the cancer had returned. Despite further treatment, Frank passed away on February 9 2019.
Frank’s mum, Louise Asthon, said:
“Although Maisie and Frank never met, we know they’d have got on like a house on fire. Comedy was one of Frank’s favourite things. From Alan Patridge and League of their Own to the Inbetweeners and Gavin and Stacey, Frank used comedy to get through some of his darkest days.
“Frank had a lively sense of humour and could always be relied on to make people laugh and keep them entertained. We are so grateful for Maisie’s support, and we know Frank would approve of Maisie being patron for the fund we set up in his memory. Good luck Maisie – we’ll be cheering for you.”
Laura Riach, head of fundraising and communications at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to Maisie and all of her wonderful supporters for their efforts. The funds raised will be put to good use to ensure that fewer patients like Frank suffer at the hands of this cruel disease.”
To learn more and support Maisie Adams’ marathon click here.
The London Marathon is set to take place tomorrow (April 21). The annual event first took place in 1981. The route sees runners pass London landmarks including Buckingham Palace, The Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. With the marathon looming others in the Harrogate district are training for Sunday’s event.
‘Running for dad’: Harrogate teen runs in memory of his late father
Rafael Colman-Chadwick
Another Harrogate local raising money for a cancer charity is 18-year-old Rafael Colman-Chadwick.
His dad, Damián, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, stage 4 Glioblastoma when Rafael was ten years old and died two years later.
Rafael has had to navigate his teenage years without his father. He said, “It has certainly had its challenges. There still isn’t a day I don’t think about his death.”
Mr Colman-Chadwick now plans to run the marathon in his memory and fundraise for Brain Tumour Research.
He said:
“To lose dad at 12 has had its challenges. Describing the emotions is hard to put into words, so instead I will put these emotions into action.”
Click here to donate.
Burton Leonard woman runs for former Harrogate BID director with terminal cancer
Beth Pritchard (left) and Christine with her children and grandchildren
Beth Pritchard, from Burton Leonard, is running the marathon for Bone Cancer following her family friend’s diagnosis.
Last year Ms Pritchard ran 12 marathons in 12 months. She is taking on the challenge for her friend, Christine Armstrong, a prominent figure around Harrogate and Knaresborough. Ms Armstrong started The Met Club which she eventually sold and also ran the Harrogate BID and later the Wakefield BID.
Ms Pritchard said on the JustGiving page dedicated to Ms Armstrong:
“Christine is fighting hard and still manages to smile despite everything so I feel the least I can do is put my trainers on and run some miles for an extremely deserving cause.”
You can donate to here.
Ripon runner supporting Young Suicide Prevention
James Parkes
James Parkes, from Ripon, is the area manager for PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide. He is a member of the local running club, Ripon Runners.
PAPYRUS is a charity which aids the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.
Mr Parkes said:
“I am inspired by the many volunteers and fundraisers I meet and I wanted to challenge myself to do something both physically and mentally challenging whilst giving something back to the charity.”
Donations can be made here.
Harrogate duo run for Macmillan
Bridget Moore (left) and Amy Cresswell
Harrogate women Bridget Moore and Amy Cresswell will be running the Marathon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
The pair work at Alchemy Media, Ms Moore is the founder of the organisation with her close friend Ms Creswell as a managing partner. They aim to raise £5,000 for charity and have only completed up to 10K runs in the past.
Ms Moore said:
“I wanted to do something significant for the business turning 18 and the London Marathon actually falls on our birthday, so, it feels like this was meant to be. We also wanted to raise some money for a worthwhile cause and something close to our hearts.”
You can donate to their cause here.
Samaritans of Harrogate
Samaritans are this year’s official charity partner of the London Marathon. In London there are Samaritans cheer points and emotional support hubs.
Locally the Samaritans of Harrogate will be in North Bar, Cheltenham Parade, from 12-3pm on Sunday, after the marathon. The event is part of an outreach strategy by the charity, as a standalone branch the Samaritans of Harrogate is entirely run by volunteers and they raise 100% of the funds themselves.
Samaritans of Harrogate said:
“We are inviting anyone to come along and see us who might be interested in what we do, or even to come and join us. There will be free cake and a soft drink as well as some goodies for any visitors.”
Read more:
- Tips I wish I’d known before my first marathon, according to Yorkshire runners
- Harrogate pub set to rebrand
- Harrogate residents say they’ve been ‘kept out the loop’ on plans for 4,000 homes
Harrogate woman who had stroke at 18 to run London marathon
A Harrogate woman who had a stroke when she was just 18 years old is running the London marathon to raise money to help others.
Millie Carrington was a healthy teenager when she suffered a stroke during a weekend job at a supermarket in Harrogate 10 years ago.
She had just finished A-levels at Harrogate Grammar School and did not imagine someone so young and healthy could be affected by such a serious condition. Millie said:
“I had many of the telltale signs – the right side of my face fell, I was weak down one side, I had issues speaking and understanding conversation.
“I vividly remember thinking to myself, ‘this feels like I’m having a stroke’. Yet due to my age, both those who witnessed it, as well as myself, didn’t think I was actually having a stroke. I instead put it down to a particularly bad migraine.
“It would take three more days of screaming headaches, trouble walking, problems speaking, writing and communicating, and constant sleeping before I went to a hospital where doctors diagnosed a blood clot in my brain. After many tests, they concluded that the cause was due to a previously undetected hole in my heart, which I later had surgery to close.”
Millie pictured a few months after her stroke.
Millie says she was “incredibly lucky” to make a full recovery after speech and occupational therapy, and heart surgery to fix the cause of the stroke.
In 2015 she and a friend hitchhiked from Edinburgh to Paris to raise money for the Stroke Association, which supports stroke survivors.
Read more:
Now she is attempting to raise £2,000 for the same organisation by completing the 26-mile route through the capital on April 23. She also wants to reach out to young people.
She said:
“I especially want to use this opportunity to raise awareness that a stroke can happen to anyone, of any age. I was very lucky to recover in full, but this doesn’t happen for a lot of people.
“Seeking medical attention in the first three hours often means the person receives crucial medication that gives them the best chance of survival and recovery.”
Millie has already raised nearly half of her £2,000 target. You can support her charity run here.
Harrogate district runners line up for Sunday’s London MarathonRunners from across the Harrogate district will descend on the capital this weekend for the 42nd London Marathon.
Held in October for the third time because of the impact of the covid pandemic, it will see 40,000 people cover the 26.2-mile route around the city, with a further 10,000 expected to take part virtually around the country.
The Stray Ferret is sharing the stories of local participants in the run-up to the event on Sunday, October 2.
If you’re taking part and would like to be included, email details to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
Record attempt for unicorn runner
Jeremie Maillard from Harrogate will have two challenges in front of him as he crosses the start line on Sunday.
First, he will need to complete the distance – and second, he hopes to become the fastest runner to complete the course dressed as a mythical creature.
The Guinness World Record attempt is not his first foray into costumed running. Jeremie said:
“Having run London Marathon several times over the years, having completed it once dressed as a Ninja Turtle, I absolutely love the support from the crowd. So why not combining the running experience whilst fundraising for a great cause?
“If you see a unicorn on a practice ride ahead of the big day in October, you are not dreaming. You might not recognise the runner under the mask, but be sure that I will be sweating whilst struggling to see through my nostrils.”
Jeremie has already surpassed his £250 fundraising target for the Alzheimer’s Research UK, and donations are still coming in. To sponsor him, click here.
Early Bird runner takes on challenge for hospice
A Harrogate man will show his gratitude to the hospice that cared for his father by raising funds this weekend.
Nick Page’s father Warren was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and underwent treatment for more than five years.
In early 2021, he was placed under the care of the Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice community team, who provided help to Warren and his wife. Nick said:
“As his health deteriorated, it was November that year he recognised the need for more specialist care and was admitted to the hospice for what turned out to be his last two weeks.
“At that time, for us as a family, the word hospice had negative connotations and it was initially a battle to be able to talk about.
“The reality was very different from what I had envisaged. Yes it is a medical setting but with a calm and empathetic atmosphere and the staff were incredibly kind and supportive.
“Covid restrictions were in place at that time, however, we were always welcomed and had great comfort knowing that Dad was in safe hands and I believe that his last days and hours were peaceful.”
Nick’s daughter India, now nine months old, was born just two weeks after his father’s funeral in January this year. The whole family has continued to receive support from Sue Ryder this year.
Nick has also found comfort from a running group in Harrogate, which has helped to inspire his marathon training too. He said:
“I joined the Early Bird Run Crew, who run every morning in Harrogate. It was established with the primary goal of improving mental and physical health and has given me the opportunity to use exercise as an outlet.
“The crew are a really encouraging group of people and this has helped me push myself with my training and preparation for running the marathon.
“Through the friendships that have been formed I’ve not done a long training run alone and one of the crew, Andy, will be running the marathon with me. With mental health now being a regular topic of conversation, we will sometimes go for a coffee (or a beer) and talk openly about mental health.
“It’s been a great support and the driver behind me completing a Mental Health First Aid course as well as becoming a wellbeing ambassador at my place of work because I want to channel my experiences into helping others in a similar situation.”
To donate to Nick’s fundraising, click here.
Marathon efforts for friends of young cancer patient
A former Ripon Grammar School pupil will run the London Marathon this weekend to support her friend who has been going through gruelling cancer treatment.
Lucy Verity, who left the school in 2018, was diagnosed with the rare bone cancer Ewing Sarcoma in January last year. She has undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as having 21 blood transfusions.
The young Masham resident has already raised more than £35,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, which has supported her through her treatment, and the Bone Cancer Research Trust.
Her friend Ruby Beardsall, right, will run the marathon this weekend, while her brother Oliver will take on the York Marathon later in October.
Lucy’s mum Gaynor said:
“Bone cancer is a brutal cancer and needs a very aggressive treatment regime.
“We couldn’t have got through the last 19 months without the support of the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) and its dedicated link nurse. At the moment the charity can’t reach all the patients it would like to due to lack of funding.
“The Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT), based in Leeds, receives no government funding and every penny raised counts towards research and providing support and information on bone cancer.”
To donate to Lucy’s fundraising, click here.
Running in memory of Dad
Knaresborough runner Tom Kilmurray will be raising money for the MS Society in memory of his father, Bob, who died from the illness last year.
Bob had been diagnosed with MS 16 years earlier and was cared for by his wife, Tom’s mum. In his younger days, Bob was a runner too, and Knaresborough Striders member Tom is following in his footsteps.
Bob Kilmurray, left, completing the London Marathon in 1983 and son Tom in training this year
Tom said:
“I really wanted to do something in memory of my dad and show support to other carers out there like my mum. Like me, running was big part of my dad’s life and in 1983 he ran the London Marathon in three hours and six minutes.
“It has been awful to see someone who was so active and energetic slowly deteriorate, plus watch the strain it put on my mum, who was my dad’s full-time carer for the last few years of his life. Running London has been a long-held ambition but running in my dad’s footsteps for this charity will be extra special.”
A familiar face at local Parkruns, Tom has set himself a target of £2,000. To sponsor Tom, click here.
Former Ripon pupil supporting women’s rights in Afghanistan
A former Ripon Grammar School pupil is preparing to run the marathon on Sunday to help protect some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Edward Lyons, who left the school in 2016 for a degree in politics, philosophy and economics at King’s College, London, is raising money for Afghanaid.
Having since worked as a Treasury economist, he said the charity is close to his heart:
“Afghanaid works with marginalised groups in the Afghan community, helping to provide emergency aid, and assisting communities with resources and education to help support them through political turmoil, human rights atrocities, and other devastating challenges.
“Having experienced first-hand the monumental effort of colleagues in Her Majesty’s Treasury to support vulnerable citizens from Afghanistan via the Afghan Resettlement Scheme, this is something I feel extremely passionate about.”
As well as hoping to raise more than £1,500, Ed is aiming for a sub-three hour marathon. He said his own experiences of fundraising events at school have helped to inspire him to continue doing what he can to support good causes.
His passion for economics and politics led him to set up the RGS Politics Society while in sixth form, driving him towards his future career.
He added:
“When the Taliban violently regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, I immediately feared the worst for the livelihoods of the millions of helpless victims.
“During the 20 years of Taliban-free leadership, huge strides were made in Afghanistan to secure prosperity and better opportunities for all across society.
“However, the insurgency of the Taliban has reversed much, if not all, of this progress. The collapse of the economic and financial system has meant that millions of people are currently on the brink of famine, including almost half of all children under five.
“Women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the Taliban’s brutal crackdown on civil liberties, most notably the loss of the basic human right to education, that will condemn them to second-class citizenship.
“These costs are not datapoints for academic research and news headlines; they are indicative of the real human suffering experienced by millions of people.”
To support Ed’s fundraising, click here.
IMAGE GALLERY: Harrogate runs the London Marathon
Today saw the VLM — the Virtual London Marathon. Here are some images of runners taking part in Harrogate – some kindly sent to us by the Harrogate Harriers. Did you run the VLM today and raise money for your nominated charity? If you did please share them with us and we’ll add them to this image gallery. contact@thestrayferret.co.uk
Stephen Clegg
Tracy Iles finishing her Virtual London Marathon
Theresa Oldroyd on her VLM
Adam Prentis, chairman of Harrogate Harriers said:
“Today it was simply fantastic to see so many people coming out to support the incredible Virtual London Marathon runners around Harrogate. Some were Club runners, many were social runners, but all have continued to train really hard for months with the principle objective of raising thousands of pounds for their chosen charities. Congratulations to all who undertook the Marathon today. Really great effort.”
Debbie Songhurst at 23 mile point
Nicole Sutton from Ripon
Read More:
- Stray Jewels with Susan Rumfitt: the magic of silver
- Hidden Gems: the Ripon florist who’s turned a wasteland into a wonderland