The Heatons Sports Club supporters Spring into 2021 to raise money
Instigator of the fundraising, Andy Graham, has challenged himself to run 496km in March.
Andy Graham, who is running 496km throughout March for the club, and his dog Otis
The Heatons Sports Club supporters are 'springing' into 2021 with a new fundraising campaign.
The Spring into 2021 campaign has seen a massive fundraising effort from the community, further afield, and Sport England.
Instigator of the fundraising, Andy Graham, has challenged himself to run the calendar days of the month of March in kilometres; starting on the 1st with 1km, 2nd with 2km, right up to 31km on the 31st.
The total distance covered will be a daunting 496km in the month, with the majority loaded towards the end of the month.
Andy said: " I came up with the idea whilst out running.
"I’d been competing remotely with a friend based in Portugal for distance covered in January and February 2021 and came up short in both months and so I wanted to target something significant to push the boundaries a little.
"I did ask for him to join me in the challenge but he took what now appears to be a wise decision and declined!
"Last year I completed '10k a day' during August and so I thought it would be a more challenging but hopefully achievable target.
"Given the size of the challenge I thought it made sense to attempt it for a worthwhile cause and The Heatons Sports Club became my chosen charity.
"It, like many other community clubs has suffered a substantial loss of revenue over the past year, in addition it’s been a focal place in the lives of my growing children.
"Both Toby and Liberty have played cricket and tennis at the club, whilst Toby has played rugby there since he was 6 (he’s now 15!) and he also had a small foray into lacrosse.
"The club retains an important part within our home and the wider community and its ongoing existence needs to be secure."
Andy has been overwhelmed by the generosity, including a significant contribution of £1,500 from Sport England.
He is now on day 25, and some of his runs have been made easier by the addition of running companions who he says have "helped to eat up the miles while chatting away."
Andy added: "My trusted companion is my Hungarian Vizsla, Otis, who completes a lot of the runs with me; his enthusiasm and energy never fail to lift my sometimes dwindling spirits!
"The recent realisation of the scale of the challenge has become apparent.
"It really did seem a good idea when I thought about it!
"However the support of family, friends, businesses and the community as a whole is pushing me on and making me determined to see this challenge through."
If you want to support the campaign, you can donate through the Spring into 2021 Crowdfunder page.
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