TWO friends from Clophill have run across Bedfordshire to raise funds for a leading children’s cancer charity.
Anne Walsh and Vikki Dear took on the Greensand Country Challenge, running 40 miles along the Greensand Ridge from Leighton Buzzard to Gamlingay on the Cambridgeshire border.
The pair were raising money for Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group after three young girls they know had been diagnosed with cancer, including a friend’s daughter with leukaemia.
Anne, a PR account manager for full service marketing agency Interdirect at Salford near Cranfield, said: “We looked at CCLG and the work they do as a charity supporting families and with their research, which is incredibly important for change and finding solutions which in the future will benefit more children. We wanted to do something to help.”
The two went running regularly together during lockdown to keep them fit “and keep our minds busy”, Anne added.
“When we were on one of those runs, we thought we could do a fundraising challenge that tested our mental and physical stamina and struck upon the idea of running the 40-plus miles of the Greensand Ridge.”
They split the challenge into four sections, completing the full cross-country route over four days in October. “There were times when we both wanted to give up on it but we really started thinking about why we were doing it and who we were doing it for,” said Anne.
She and Vikki were determined to help raise awareness of childhood cancer. Their fundraising has raised more than £1,200 so far.
To donate, click here.
