A primary school teacher is running 128km this month to raise funds for the Worcestershire hospice which cared for one of her best friends.
Emma Winter, from Merthyr Tydfil, is running the equivalent distance from her home to St Richard’s Hospice, in Worcester, while still busy teaching as one of the nation’s key workers.
Having originally set herself the challenge of 100km over the month, Emma upped her ambitions to 128km last week after surpassing her targeted distance. And it’s inspired the charity she’s running for to create its own ‘100k Your Way’ challenge for June.
The keen runner is raising funds for St Richard’s, which cared for her friend Emily Lewis before she sadly passed away aged 25 in 2018.
“I’ve mainly been running in the evenings with my Mum on her bike and our eight-year-old spaniel, Molly, who loves to dawdle and take pit stops to chase the birds” said Miss Winter, 28. “So I was delighted to hit my 100k target mid-month and decided I couldn’t stop there; I wanted to make it all the way to Worcestershire!”
Miss Winter describes daily exercise as her medicine during lockdown, where she’s continued to teach children from her own school, Nant Y Parc Primary, and other neighbouring schools.
She said: “Lockdown has given me a lot of time to think about the things in my life that I’m thankful for but also those who I so dearly miss. “I desperately wanted to find a way of giving back to those in need, particularly charities like St Richard’s Hospice which are feeling the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“St Richard’s took such great care of Em and her family during their most difficult times and this is my way of giving back and thanking them.”
“And I know this means so much to Em’s family too – it’s a way of keeping her memory alive and to find a positive even though we miss her so much still.”
Tricia Cavell, Fundraising Director at St Richard’s Hospice, said: “It’s simply incredible to see Emma running the equivalent distance from her home in South Wales to us here at St Richard’s and we are hugely grateful for her supporting our care in the most challenging of times for us as a hospice.
“Our fundraising income has been hit by Covid-19 with events cancelled and our shops shut temporarily. But, backed by the help of our amazing supporters – near and far in the case of Emma – we are hopeful we will weather this storm together.
“Emma’s challenge is such an amazing feat that she’s actually inspired us to create our own 100km fundraiser in June asking our supporters to do ‘100k Your Way’; whether that’s walking, running, on two wheels or even on a pogo stick! With restrictions on exercise now lifted here, we hope lots of people will get on board, get active and raise funds for our care for patients and their loved ones across Worcestershire.
“So, if you’re inspired by Emma’s story, why not give ‘100k Your Way’ a go? Whether 100k is your challenge for the month, over a weekend, on two feet or two wheels – we’d love to have you on our team.”
To support Emma in her challenge visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Emma-Winter19
To find out more about 100k Your Way see: https://www.strichards.org.uk/event/100k-your-way/