Running for animals
Pair do marathon for sanctuary
A pair of runners are set to put their best foot forward to help an animal welfare charity.
Lesley Walker and running partner Stuart Hurcomb from Broxburn are raising funds for The Donkey Sanctuary by joining tens of thousands of runners on April 22 in the 2018 London Marathon.
Lesley, who is a staff nurse at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, will swap her surgical gloves for running shoes and join Linlithgow postman Stuart and around 40,000 other runners at the start in Greenwich for the gruelling 26.2 mile course.
The pair have been pounding the streets around their homes in Broxburn in preparation for the event, with Lesley citing the marathon as the alternative to buying a soft top car as she nears her 40th birthday.
Lesley said: “I am beyond excited to be part of the team supporting The Donkey Sanctuary and as well as working really hard at training, I am throwing my heart and soul in to fundraising for the donkeys. I am blessed to be sharing my runs with Stuart, he makes the impossible possible and the training just about bearable.”
Stuart hails from east Devon, the home of The Donkey Sanctuary’s headquarters in Sidmouth and fondly recalls visiting the sanctuary with family many times before their move north to Scotland 11 years ago.
Stuart says: “The London will be my second full marathon after successfully completing the Loch Ness event in 2013 and I must admit I’m hoping for a mild and snow free winter to help with my current training regime.”
Mum- of- two Lesley has been running for around four years. She was inspired to take up running when cheering on competitors in the Edinburgh Marathon with her sister and they made a pact to do a half marathon together the following year. Lesley continued: “My first run was painful and I could barely manage 10 minutes but I instantly fell in love with running and worked hard to improve. I am completely obsessed by it and now, it’s so much more than a hobby, it’s become a way of life that gives me immense joy.”
The Donkey Sanctuary is close to hearts of Stuart and Lesley and with the support of their families and friends, both in Scotland and back in the South West, they are determined to raise as much as they can for the charity. The pair will be part of a team of six runners from as far afield as Bermuda and Germany taking part in the iconic event to raise money for The Donkey Sanctuary.
Louise Jones, community fundraising manager at The Donkey Sanctuary said: “We are so grateful to Lesley and Stuart joining The Donkey Sanctuary’s team of runners. We are so very proud of them all and express our thanks and gratitude for the hard work they are putting into their training and fundraising.”
Louise continues: “Without the support of dedicated fundraisers like this we would not be able to continue our vital work to help donkeys around the world to live a life free of suffering.”
The Donkey Sanctuary works to transform the quality of life for donkeys, mules and people worldwide through greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life- enhancing relationships.
To support Lesley and Stuart please visit their just giving page https:// www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stuart-andlesley