Josh’s double marathon with a colourful twist
A KITCHEN spray painter plans to transform three items of pre-loved furniture in 24 hours.
A doddle, you might think, for someone whose nine-to-five job is restoring and updating cabinets.
Except that Josh Bower is also planning to run a double marathon, or 52.5 miles, the same day.
“I enjoy running,” he said, “and I spray for a living, so it seemed a natural way to raise money for charity.
“I like restoring old furniture, and giving things another life rather than throwing them away.”
Josh runs Portal Spray Painting, in Arborfield.
“My whole business is about reusing and recycling,” he said.
“We respray kitchens that are solid but need updating, so that they don’t have to be replaced.”
Over the course of a day and night, every hour Josh will run a lap in 20 minutes, followed by 40 minutes spray painting and restoring.
He’s calculated that 24 runs of 2.2 miles should get him to his double marathon.
He’s already run an ultra marathon before, but says he’s a bit unprepared for this event.
“I haven’t had a chance to train, and I’ve got a bit of a bad knee, but it’ll be fine,” he said.
“I wanted to support First Days Children’s Charity because I’ve got young kids myself, and I don’t like to think of youngsters going without.
“I grew up in a single parent family, so I know what it’s like not to have all the right things at school.
“My amazing mum did a great job of bringing up three children, but there were times when it was hard.
“With the ever increasing cost of living hitting us all, I wanted to put on an event to raise money to help families in my local area who are struggling at the moment – especially those with young children.”
First Days supports families in the borough living with low income or experiencing financial hardship.
Founder and CEO Emma Cantrell, said: “What Josh is doing is fantastic.
“It’s wonderful when people support a charity by doing something that involves their own passions and skills.
“This challenge looks to be really hard, but it’s amazing that Josh has managed to combine two things he loves, and with such creativity.”
Josh will restore three solid wood furniture items: a set of drawers, a writing desk, and a coffee table.
He invites people to visit his social media and suggest colours for the three projects.
After the challenge he will sell the items and donate the proceeds to First Days.
The fundraiser is on Saturday, April 27, and will take place in and around Josh’s Finchampstead workshop.
To support him, and to find out more, visit his Portal Spray Facebook page, look for his JustGiving page (search for Josh Bower)