Forty-one-year-old Michael Fry says the care his grandad, John Cullinane, and the wider family received from Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice twenty years ago, is the key inspiration for his fundraising feat this October. He hopes that taking part in the London Marathon will also bring some positivity to his family following the difficult time they experienced through the Covid pandemic.
Michael said: “I approached Sue Ryder for a running place at the London Marathon because my grandad was so well cared for at the local hospice. I was in my early twenties at the time he died and it’s not something you are necessarily used to dealing with at that age.
“Twenty years on though and I still have memories of how well looked after he was there and equally of the support they offered, not only to my grandad, but to my nan, and my family. The staff were fantastic and we could not thank them enough.”
This is the first time that Michael will have run a marathon for charity but he has always been keen to give it a go.
“I’ve been to London to see the marathon in action a couple of times as my cousin, my aunty and best mate have all run it – the whole day is just inspiring and a great event. My brother-in-law is running this year too, to raise money for Bedford Hospital, and my wife, four-year-old daughter and family will be there so we are going to make a day of it,” he added.
Michael who has been fitting in his training around being a husband, dad and running a business, said: “I am trying to do as many miles as possible by heading out early in the morning at 5.30am, but I am enjoying it!
“I’ve got a goal, I know it’s leading up to something big and I am doing it for a cause close to my heart, so now I’ve got the bit between my teeth, I want to keep going and get better. My longest run is 18.5 miles so far. I just want to raise as much money as possible for the hospice, that’s what it’s all about.”
Michael hopes to raise £3,000 for Sue Ryder and to help boost his fundraising total he held a charity quiz in June. “My sister-in-law owns Bridges Espresso Bar at Riverside Square in Bedford so we are lucky to be able to use that as a venue for our fundraisers. We invited various local business to enter team and had a raffle too, in total we raised around £1500. A member of the Sue Ryder fundraising team came along on the night to talk to us about the work that the hospice does which made it feel more real.”
It’s not only raising money that the team at Fry Estate Agents has been involved in: “Speaking to the fundraising team at Sue Ryder, they said that they could do with some help sprucing up the garden and the outside area. My wife works with me, so she and some of the Fry team went there for the day to help out jet washing, weeding and painting. She came back saying how much she loved it and how they all left feeling inspired.”
If Michael’s story has inspired you to lace up your trainers and run the London Marathon for Sue Ryder in 2023, visit: sueryder.org/london.
Donate to Michael’s London Marathon fundraising here: justgiving.com/fundraising/Michael-Fry6
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