A student from Harrogate is aiming to run 100km – 62 miles – around Oatlands Stray to raise money for charity.
Morgan Glazier, 21, will run for 12 hours through the night of Friday, June 30 to Saturday, July 1 – and will then cap it off by completing the 5km Harrogate Parkrun.
Morgan, who left Rossett School in 2020, said:
“I’ve been out practising a lot over the last couple of months, building up my mileage and getting used to the pace I’ll be keeping on the night. My route around Oatlands Stray is about a mile long, and I’m hoping to manage as many as 62 laps, but if it gets really tough, I may have to make do with 52, but that’s still a double marathon.”
The run is part of Morgan’s longer-term fundraising plan. He has just finished the final year of his degree in economics at the University of Bristol and plans to mark the achievement by running the Budapest Marathon in October in aid of the Meningitis Research Foundation.
But to secure his place, he must raise 80% of his £1,000 fundraising target by the end of July, and he is hoping his epic Stray all-nighter will be a way of hitting his target fast. He will be supported through the night by friends and family, some of whom plan to keep him company for a few laps.
This is not the first time Morgan has set himself an ambitious target to raise money for charity. In 2020, aged just 18, he ran 465 miles in 30 days, raising over £9,000 for mental health charity Mind.
Morgan said:
“I’ve been running for years, but this 12-hour challenge is new territory for me – I’ve never run this far in one go before, but that’s part of the fun.”
Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It can kill, and survivors can be left with long-term effects, such hearing loss, brain injury and limb loss.
Students are the second-biggest group at risk of contracting meningitis, after babies and toddlers.
The Meningitis Research Foundation funds work to find new ways of preventing meningitis and septicaemia, and to mitigate their effects.
To support Morgan and help him on his way to his £1,000 fundraising target for the Meningitis Research Foundation, go to his JustGiving page and make a donation.
Guide to bonfire and fireworks displays in the Harrogate district
This story is sponsored by Belmont Grosvenor School which will be holding a Bonfire Night Party on Friday, November 4. There will be s’mores round the campfire, music, hot food, a licensed bar, stalls and more. Gates open at 6pm, the bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm and the firework display starts at 7.20pm.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate and cost £10 for adults (children under the age of 18 are free). Get them in advance by emailing kaye.walker@bewonder.co.uk.
Bonfire night is fast approaching so we have put together a list of events coming up in the Harrogate district.
They all take place over the weekend of November 4, 5 and 6.
Let us know if we have missed your event and we will add it to the list. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or call us on 01423 276197.
Belmont Grosvenor School Bonfire Party
Where: Belmont Grosvenor School, Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG3 2JG
When: 6pm start, 6.30pm fire lit, 7.20pm firework display
Tickets: £10 with children under the age of 18 entering for free
Ripon Rowels Rotary Charity Bonfire and Firework Display
Where: Ripon Racecourse, Boroughbridge Road, Ripon, HG4 1UG
When: 5.30pm start, 7pm fire lit, 7.30pm firework display
Tickets: adults £6, children £3, family (2 adult, 2 child) £12, under 3s free
Spofforth Village Firework Display
Where: Spofforth Cricket Ground, School Lane, Spofforth, HG3 1BA
When: Gates open 5pm, 7pm-7.15pm firework display.
Tickets: Family pre-paid £12:50 and on the gate £15. Adult pre-paid £4 and on the gate £5. Child pre-paid £2:50 and on the gate £3.
Swinton Bivouac Silent Bonfire Night
Where: Swinton Bivouac, Masham, Ilton, Ripon, HG4 4JZ
When: 6.30pm bonfire lit. There will be no fireworks or loud bangs.
Tickets: free entry, food and drinks available from the Bivouac Café
Aspin Park Academy Fireworks Night, Knaresborough
Where: School grounds
When: 5.15pm start, 6.30pm firework display
Tickets: Advance online booking – adults £4, children £3, family ticket £12, preschoolers free. On the gate – adults £5, children £4
Harrogate Stray Bonfire and Fireworks, Harrogate Round Table
Where: Oatlands Stray, Harrogate, HG1 1BJ
When: 5pm start (there will be entertainment), bonfire lit 5.30pm, 7.15pm firework display
Tickets: free entry, donations welcome
Upper Nidderdale Scouts Group Pateley Bonfire
Where: Pateley Bridge Showground
When: 6pm start, 6.30pm torchlit procession and bonfire lit, 7pm fireworks
Tickets: free entry, donations welcome
Kirkby Malzeard community village bonfire
Where: North Close Farm, Ripon Road, Kirkby Malzeard
When: 6pm start, 6.30pm bonfire lit, 7pm fireworks
Tickets: Free entry but donations welcome to fund next year’s event. Parking is available at North Close Farm. No sparklers allowed. Bring a torch.
Yolk Farm Bonfire and Burger Night – dog-friendly
Where: Yolk Farm, Minskip Road, Minskip, York, YO51 9HY
When: 5.30pm start, 6.30pm bonfire lit, no fireworks
Tickets: free entry for the event, advanced bookings only for Burger Night in the restaurant – 5:30pm and 8pm sittings
Staveley Arms Bonfire
Where: The Staveley Arms, Greenfields, North Stainley, Ripon, HG4 3HT
When: 6pm
Tickets: £5 per person to include a choice of hot dog or cup of soup
Harrogate Borough Council looks set to begin legal moves to evict Travellers on the Stray tomorrow.
Six caravans and several cars arrived on the Oatlands section of the Stray yesterday.
Three days earlier Travellers also parked on the old rugby field at Knaresborough.
The council, which is the legal protector of the Stray, has not replied to the Stray Ferret’s request for information about what action it is taking.
But Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said the council had informed her that is is “aware and prepared to serve papers on Monday if required with a court hearing already scheduled for Thursday. Unfortunately due to the legal process, this is the fastest we can progress the situation.”
It is thought the Travellers are on their way to Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria, which begins on Thursday.
Ms d’Arcy Thompson said the council had informed her that its street cleaning team was “prepared to check the area and clear any waste left behind”.
She added the council appeared to be doing everything it could to resolve the situation, adding:
“With experience of similar events in the past we appreciate the complexity of the legal process.
“We naturally hope that they respect our Stray and that the minimum of mess and damage is left behind when they depart.”
The Stray Defence Association was founded in 1933 to safeguard the Stray against building and encroachment.