A marathon effort as Cherry Professional smashes charity fundraising record
East Midlands-based recruitment experts Cherry Professional are celebrating smashing through their charity target after two employees successfully completed the Nottingham Ikano Full Marathon.
Two years ago, Martin Burnett, director, completed Ikano’s half marathon raising money for a small Cancer trust. This year Martin and Gareth Davies, Finance Team Manager were raising money for Alzheimer’s Society.
This year, Martin and Gareth have so far raised more than £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society – a cause very close to Martin’s heart.
Martin, who completed the Full Marathon course in 4 hours 48 minutes, said: “Running this marathon was a personal challenge for me.
“I wanted to complete it as I have previously run the half marathon on six occasions but this was a whole new ball game.
“Having the opportunity to raise money for a cause like Dementia was one I couldn’t miss. Even if I could only raise £100 I knew it will help someone who is suffering because of dementia.”
Gareth Davies
But both he and Gareth, who finished with a time of 4 hours 54 minutes, smashed through that barrier, and with money still pouring in, are looking at raising around £1,200.
Gareth added: “It was a privilege to run the marathon with Martin to support such a vital cause. It is a heartbreaking fact that there are around 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over one million by 2025. This will soar to two million by 2051.”
Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. These conditions are all usually progressive and eventually severe.
Martin added: “When dementia has affected you or someone you love, you quickly understand why this is a charity that needs support. This year 225,000 people will develop dementia – that’s one every three minutes. Just think about how many families that will affect.
“The brain is what defines you, it makes you feel, it stores your memories, it makes you engaged and it defines you. When a disease like dementia claims a loved one, you can quickly watch parts of them disappear and that’s why supporting Alzheimer’s Society is so important, to help fund research and to also help with care for families with loved ones effected by the disease.”
