Run London Marathon for St John Ambulance

RUNNERS from Halton are being offered the chance to fundraise for the nation’s leading first aid charity in this year’s London Marathon.

St John Ambulance (SJA) was supported last year by more than 200 people who ran the route through the capital and raised more than £250,000 to support the charity’s life saving work.

The race route is lined with SJA first aiders, ready to treat runners and spectators for a wide range of injuries and medical conditions.

More than 1,000 SJA volunteers from all over the country will be on duty with approximately one volunteer for every 35 metres of the 26.2 mile course this year on Sunday, April 23.

The team will include first aiders, doctors, nurses and paramedics working closely with the London Marathon’s own medical director and team of doctors.

SJA’s director of fundraising Katrina Hodges said: “Our runners receive a lot of support from us before, during and after the event and they get enormous satisfaction from knowing they’ll be quite literally running for other people’s lives.”

The charity has been providing first aid for the London Marathon throughout the race’s 36-year history.

Every year, more than 800,000 people learn how to save a life through the charity’s training programmes, including hundreds of thousands of young people.

The volunteers provide first aid, keeping people safe at events, and working alongside the NHS in response to 999 calls.

The deadline to register is Thursday, February 2.

For more information about running for SJA email events@sja.org. uk or call 0207 324 4168.