Runners of all ages and abilities from a Leicestershire village are uniting on the longest Saturday of the year to raise £7,500 for a wheelchair needed by a local man who recently lost use of his legs.
More than 40 villagers between the ages of 10-70, will run a relay of the 106 mile Leicestershire Round footpath on June 24th to buy an personalised active user wheelchair for the village’s Will Rudkin. The 20-year-old suffered serious spinal injuries following a car accident last year.
James Bentley, member of the organising committee, explained that this year’s Relay followed on from similar Leicestershire Round runs in 2021, which raised £10,000 for mental health charities, and 2022, to help save the village’s church tower.
“Together with Karl Donaghey, who also lives in Thrussington, we ran the Leicestershire Round route in 36 hours in 2021 and then followed it up last year with a relay that involved 30 runners. It seems to have become an annual event, which is really gratifying,” he said.
“There’s a very strong sense of community here in the village and the run involves people from right across the village while also helping to raise funds through sponsorship and other means for a very worthwhile local cause. Will and the Rudkin family are very much at the heart of village life and it is right that we try to help them out during this difficult period.
“There are more runners taking part this year and the first will be setting off a little earlier, at about 1.30am, with groups covering legs all around the perimeter of the county ranging from 3-10 miles. We’re expecting the finish, back on the village green, by around 7pm.”
An evening of fundraising celebrations is planned on The Green with stalls featuring games, food and drinks – many involving Will’s friends from Leicestershire Young Farmers.
James said: “It’s really heartwarming to see how the village and local farming community are supporting Will. Our online fundraising has already raised more than £4,000 and that’s before the relay was even properly announced, so we’ve got a head start on our £7,500 target.”
Anyone wishing to contribute towards fundraising for the event should visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/willrudkin.
