Huge congratulations to Dave Bray, who took on the Great North Run for Church Housing Trust on 5 July.
Dave ran the 10k for homeless veterans, who Church Housing Turst supports, at North Yorkshire scheme The Beacon. He raised a fantastic total of £2,201.54, having achieved his donation target of £2,000 with 10 days to spare.
He was also aiming to beat his previous running time of 58 minutes and 18 seconds. Having had back problems after a spinal fusion, and in the July heat, he managed to finish in a very respectable one hour and two minutes.
He said that his final run was very emotional and added: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all that sponsored me.”
During his training for the challenge, Dave progressed from 30 to 40 mile walks per week. In the final run up to the marathon he walked or jogged 50 miles a week. Next year, depending on his health, he wants to take on the Three Peaks walk.
Dave also took part in a Tesco fundraiser, in which a team ran and walked on a treadmill inside a Tesco supermarket to raise money. They covered just over 30 miles and raised a grand total of £496.54 in just one day.
Dave is now recovering from a swollen knee, but is otherwise well and looks forward to hearing about what his donations will be used for.
Church Housing Trust will be able to fund a number of different amenities for homeless veterans, including cookery classes. These have been very popular with ex-Services personnel, who may have joined the Armed Forces at a young age and not had the chance to cook for themselves.
Thanks again Dave, you should be incredibly proud of your achievement!
If you’re inspired by Dave’s fantastic efforts, there are many ways that you can fundraise for us too. Take a look at some suggestions or visit Virgin Money Giving’s ideas page.
