Norfolk church runners in ambulance challenge
Members of the Yare Valley Churches Running Club are taking part in the ‘Outrun an ambulance’ challenge, with each of them running at least 92 miles during the month of February to raise money for the East of England Ambulance Service. Tony Rothe reports.
Money raised will be used to provide enhanced facilities and vital well-being support for staff and volunteers operating from Ambulance Stations in the East of England, including a local one based at Longwater Retail Park.
Tom Woods, sports minister at Yare Valley Churches, pictured right, said, “The East of England Ambulance Service staff and volunteers really go the extra mile to keep us all safe during challenging times. Please support us to go the extra mile for them as we take on the ‘Outrun an Ambulance’ challenge. We‘re each looking cover 92 miles this month, which is the distance that an ambulance from Longwater Ambulance Station would cover on a typical shift.”
The Yare Valley Churches running club was set up right at the start of the third national lockdown in January last year, using an app called Strava which enabled runners to track and time their runs, but also see other people’s runs, as well as motivate and encourage each other. The group set themselves a challenge to run 500km as a collective, in just one week, with the target of raising £500 for a local charity, but ended up covering 800Km and almost trebling their fund-raising target.
They were able to meet and run as a group for the first time in May at Brundall Countryside Park. The run was met with really positive feedback, and the group has continued to meet and run together.
The four members taking part in the “Outrun an Ambulance” challenge are Tom Morgan, Stuart Long, Joshua Hollebon, and Tom Woods who, between them, have already raised £815, well over their original target. The running challenge will finish at the end of February, although the fundraiser itself and the chance to donate will last till the end of the year.
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) provides emergency and urgent care, as well as patient transport services across 7,500 square miles and serving over 6.2million people in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
To donate, please visit the runners’ JustGiving page.
The Yare Valley Churches comprises the three parish churches of Braydeston, Brundall and Postwick.
Visit their website here.
To read our previous story about the Yare Valley Churches running group, click here.
Yare Valley running club is pictured, top.
Photos are courtesy of Tom Woods.
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Tony Rothe, 25/02/2022
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