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DYNAMIC DUO RUN FOR HOPE - HOPE (UK)
This September, Kay Surry and Kirsty Pettit will be running to raise money for HOPE UK. Read what's motivating them to put in the training for the Bristol Half Marathon and BUPA Great North Run.
Just like the proverbial bus, we wait all year for a sponsored run and then two come along in the same month! Kay Surry, partner of HOPE Trustee Alan Mann, will be running the Bristol Half Marathon on 9th September, followed later the same month by Kirsty Pettit (a trustee in her own right) who take on the streets of Newcastle in the BUPA Great North Run on the 30th. Both Kay and Kirsty are novice runners and will be tackling their respective courses for the first time. Though for Kirsty, the Great North Run is a very familiar event as she is originally from Newcastle and recalls being able to hear the start of the race from her parent's house and going over to cheer on the runners. Kirsty’s desire to run a familiar race is matched by her motivation to raise money for HOPE’s work in Ethiopia, having had the privilege of visiting the country back in 2004. ‘Whenever I run, I remember the kids in Ethiopia running to school along the roads, or running after the car as we left the village,’ reflects Kirsty. ‘They were so fit, and so fast, and were usually carrying some very large objects, such as a water bottle, school books, or firewood. I’m sure that running 10k in a day would be nothing to them!’ Someone who is certainly not finding the prospect of running that far is Kay. ‘I’m not really a runner, but I do believe that access to clean water is a basic human right. So, if by getting sponsorship to run the Bristol Half Marathon I can make even a small difference, then I’m willing to put in the training. Certainly without the desire to make a difference I don’t think I could find the motivation to cover the miles.’ One of the key factors that keeps Kay focused is the knowledge that her usual training run of 2.5 miles to her teaching job in Bristol is not untypical of the kind of distance covered by thousands of school-age children everyday in sub-Saharan Africa, just to fetch water for their family’s basic needs. Though it’s too early to know just how much this dynamic duo will raise in sponsorship, what is certain is that even a few hundred pounds will make a significant difference to the lives of people living in remote communities in Ethiopia. If you’d like to support Kay and Kirsty in their efforts, but don’t know them personally, please do send a donation direct to HOPE UK, as all gifts are much appreciated. |
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