Firefighter’s marathon effort
A NUNEATON firefighter is to undertake a first – a marathon to raise money in memory of her baby sister.
Dawn Roodhouse is no stranger to running but she will be aiming to complete her first 26.2 miles when she takes on the Brighton Marathon in April.
The member of the white watch crew at Nuneaton Fire Station will pound the road race to raise money for PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide
She will do so in memory of her sister, Elaine, who sadly took her own life in 2002 aged just 18.
“She (Elaine) was only 18, she left behind a threemonth-old son, he will be 16 this year,” said the former Ash Green student.
“I have run for most of my life but I was off for four months last year as I had an infection in my knee so I am starting from scratch really.
“I have only ever run half marathons before in Birmingham and the Great North Run but, when I turned 40, I thought ‘it is now or never’.”
The Burbage resident gives money to PAPYRUS every year in lieu of sending Christmas cards: “I decided I wanted to raise a big chunk for them this year,” she said.
She has been supported by friends and family: “I don’t think my mum really grasps how far it is, I have tried to explain to her that it is like running from my house in Burbage to Birmingham Airport, but she doesn’t quite get it, she is proud of me though and has sponsored me,” she explained.
Dawn joined the fire service when she was 18, she worked in Bedworth for 14 years, then was stationed at Leamington for a year before moving to Nuneaton Fire Station.
“I love it here, we are always busy, but we like it that way,” she said.
She is doing the run on April 15 with some friends she has in the ‘blue light’ family – a paramedic from Warwick and two detectives from Kidderminster.” To support Dawn’s marathon mission log on to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dawn-roodhouse4