SHOUTS of “Olly Olly Olly Oi Oi Oi” could be heard as a Worcester man pounded the streets of London in support of a courageous little girl.
Olly Temperley was among the dozens of Worcester people who completed the London Marathon on Sunday.
Mr Temperley, aged 26, of Diglis, Worcester, was raising money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charities in honour of his friend and Worcester News employee Chris Wyse’s 22-month-old daughter Jovie, who was born with a life-threatening condition called congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.
He raised £2,000 and finished in 4 hours 38 minutes.“It was brilliant,” he said. “I think there was a different atmosphere after the Boston bombing. “People said there was more determination this year and we all wore black ribbons.“I spoke to Chris afterwards and he was really impressed and I think they were quite proud.”
Supt Steve Cullen of West Mercia Police said he would definitely be taking part in another marathon after crossing the finish line in four hours and 40 minutes.“I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was fantastic, the crowds were just great and I loved it,” he said. Before he left, he had raised nearly £2,000 for the NSPCC but was due to have a final count today.
Kidderminster toddler Charlie Harris-Beard was on the mind of Katherine Holmes as she set off on Sunday in his memory.The 28-year-old account manager from Droitwich ran in aid of the Anthony Nolan Trust, which helped Charlie, the nephew of her best friend, before he tragically died from an acute form of leukaemia.
“Fiona, Charlie’s mum, sent me a text about half way through saying well done and keep going. I ran with a photo of Charlie on my back.”Ms Holmes completed the race in five hours 52 minutes and is just short of her £1,800 target.“I finished just behind Cheryl Baker and around five minutes behind Amy Childs,” she said.
Father-of-two Tony Frobisher was running for Make A Wish Foundation after his daughter Milla, who has severe cerebral palsy, had her wish granted to visit Disney in Florida.
Mr Frobisher, from St Peter’s, crossed the finishing line in five hours and 22 minutes to raise £4,200 for the charity.“It was a lot harder than I expected,” he said.
The teacher, who was running with friend Oliver Gross, was close to the finish line when he spotted The Only Way Is Essex personality Amy Childs.“It came across the tannoy and I saw her sandwiched between Charlie Chaplin and a giant chicken, which is something I never thought I would say,” he said.
Adam Waide of Libbery, near Worcester, raised more than £4,000 for Children with Cancer UK.But he was disappointed to miss out on his target of a sub-three hour marathon, finishing in three hours 18 minutes 14 seconds.
The 22-year-old said: “The atmosphere was absolutely incredible.” Worcester runner Leo Atkinson completed his first marathon in four hours 21 minutes, raising more than £1,600 for St John Ambulance. The 20-year-old former Bishop Perowne College and King’s School Worcester pupil, now at Bangor University, said it was an amazing experience.Leo’s mum Lynne, a teaching assistant at Gorse Hill Primary School said she was hugely proud of her son and his dad, the Very Rev Peter Atkinson, Dean of Worcester, said he had trained hard with great determination. “He doesn’t get it from me,” he said.
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