Friends organise Melton bootcamp fundraiser before marathon debuts

Emma Gardner or Kieron Clayton say they have never been runners but are taking on the challenge of pounding 26 miles around the streets of the capital, on Sunday October 3, in aid of causes close to their heart.

Emma (32), of Melton, is being sponsored to raise for money for Together for Short Lives, which supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

And 35-year-old Kieron, of Asfordby, is raising funds for Melton Learning Hub, which provides learning and training for youngsters who don’t thrive in mainstream education and opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

To prepare for the marathon, and to generate extra funds for their causes, the duo have arranged a bootcamp marathoon on Saturday September 18, at The Unit, on Burton Road, from 8am to 4pm.

People are invited to drop in and take part in sessions for one, two or the full eight hours to do various 50-minute exercises, including boxing, circuit training and stretching.

Each session will start on the hour every hour with a minimum donation required of £5 per hour, all proceeds being split between the charities.

There will also be a barbecue there, courtesy of Northfield Farm, a bake sale, a rodeo challenge and a raffle with various prizes provided by local businesses.

Emma, a customer supply chain manager for Premier Foods, which has adopted the Together for Short Live charity, was inspired to help the cause following the sad story of Azaylia Cain, a baby who died earlier this year from leukaemia aged just eight months.

She said: “It really became apparent the valuable support this charity offers to support children and families in similar heart-breaking situations. “The London Marathon will my biggest physical challenge to date.

“Having been a swimmer all my life I was converted to running during lockdown following the closure of the local pools.

“This time last year I couldn’t run 5k and now I am preparing myself to run a whooping 26 miles.”

Explaining why he is helping Melton Learning Hub, Kieron, a wireless network engineer for J Brand, said: “I know someone working there so I thought why not.

“They do loads of work with under-privileged teenagers.

“At the learning hub they offer training courses so these teenagers can gain qualifications to help boost them into employment.

“I’ve always wanted to do a marathon and thought I’m 35 now so why not give it a go.”

To pledge money for Emma’s cause go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emma-gardner01/ and for Kieron go to www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/meltonlearninghub or just go along to take part in the bootcamp on September 18.