The extra mile
March 2020
Important update about the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon
Following consultation with the UK Government, London Marathon Events has announced the postponement of the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon. The 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon is now scheduled to take place on Sunday 4th October 2020.
You can show your support to our two amazing charity runners by sponsoring them on their Virgin Money Giving fundraising pages:
Holly Chant - https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HollyChant
Jess Cooke - https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JessCookeLondonMarathon
Holly Chant
Holly, who has worked for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) for over a decade, says of the exciting challenge ahead:
“I have always wanted to run the London marathon and it was on my bucket list to run before turning 35. When I applied I never dreamt that I would be picked!
Working as a Paramedic for ten years with SWASFT, I can see just how important the South Western Ambulance Charity is in supporting and improving the welfare of staff, volunteers and the communities we serve.
I know I have my work cut out for me but I’m looking forward to crossing that finish line!”
Jess Cooke
Jess will be running the London Marathon in loving memory of her dad, Trevor.
This is Jess’ story:
“In the early hours of 24th August 2019, my Dad – Trevor, suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest at home. My mum woke me to perform CPR on my Dad whilst we waited for the crews to arrive. The first crew came from Camelford Ambulance Station in Cornwall, followed by two more later on. I knew these crews did all they could for our Dad in the hour they were working on him.
“Sadly, he passed away at the young age of 56 years old. The initial crew stayed with us until we no longer needed them and as a family we could not be more grateful for them going above and beyond.
“I went back to university this September to finish my last year of my Children’s Nursing Degree at Oxford Brookes and shall use my Dad as my inspiration to carry on helping others. That night I gave my Dad my strength when he didn’t have any of his own. He was so proud of what I had achieved at just 20 years old and knew I was so passionate for my job.
“The South Western Ambulance Service are the reason my Dad even had a small chance of survival that night, as less than one in ten out of hospital cardiac arrests survive. For that reason alone, I have chosen to run the Virgin London Marathon 2020 for this amazing charity. I have lots of fundraising in the pipeline so watch this space!
“This will be my very first marathon and every one of those 26.2 miles will be for my Dad. On behalf of my Mum, four siblings and other family members, I’d like to say thank you!”