Staff from a popular hotel chain are lacing up their running shoes to raise money for Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children.
A team of 14 runners who work at the London Marriott hotels in Grosvenor Square and Park Lane are taking part in the Bupa London 10,000 on May 25 to raise funds for the leading children’s charity.
The employees are currently in training in the hope of raising £2,800 for the charity which works to support disabled and terminally ill children and their families.
Rachel Phillips, who works in the Park Lane hotel, said: “Newlife is a fantastic charity that has been close to our hearts for a number of years now.
“It first came to our attention because 100 per cent of the money you raise goes to help disabled children, they don’t take any costs.
“The money is also ring fenced to help a child in your area. It means we know a child nearby is going to benefit from what we are doing and that makes a huge difference.
“To raise money we often hold fashion shows and they have been really popular but now 14 employees are taking the extra step of running in the Bupa 10,000.”
Ms Phillips said the team consists of regular runners and people who are taking part in their first ever road race.
“It’s a real mix, we’ve got a range of different fitness levels which is really nice,” she said.
“Some are keen runners and some have never done anything like this before. One of the chaps often runs and has organised some training sessions in Hyde Park which have been really popular. They are all having lots of fun.
“They all seem to be really getting into it. It’s quite a high target we have set ourselves but to raise £2,800 for the charity would be fantastic.”
More than 10,000 people are expected to take part in the run which begins at 10.00am and starts and finishes in St James’s Park.
The 14 employees taking part include hotel general manager Ian Pask. The other runners are: Mark Mason, Eduard Peposhi, Pablo Romero, Katie Jackson, Castro De Castro, Zsofi Katona, Sarah Moss, Eddie Sycamore, Juriana Spierenburg, Oliver Hyatt, Kerry Hayes, Ashley Dawes and Vilma Putnynaite.
“Newlife CEO Sheila Brown, OBE, said: “We are very grateful to all the hotel staff as they seek to raise this fantastic amount of money.
“As cutbacks continue to bite into local authority budgets we can expect to see applications for Newlife equipment services continue to rise.
“As a charity we are looking increasingly to ‘local heroes’ to help us help children in individual cities and counties. Newlife guarantees that 100 per cent of all monies donated or fundraised in the London can be ring-fenced to specifically provide equipment for disabled and terminally ill children within the capital.”
If you would like to support the team, go to their JustGiving page – https://www.justgiving.com/marriott10k – and donate.
To find out more about Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children visit www.newlifecharity.co.uk
Web: https://newlifecharity.co.uk Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/newlifecharity Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newlifefoundation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/NewlifeFoundation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NewlifeFoundation
