A Yorkshire business owner is rallying the support of the region having pledged to raise more than £3,000 for national charity, Children with Cancer UK.
Fifty-four year old Andrew Shaw, owner of the United Carpets will be running the London Marathon on 28 April for the second time, after narrowly missing out on his fundraising target of £3,000 in 2016.
Of the challenge, Andrew said: “Raising money is the hardest part. I don’t mind the training or getting out of breath for a few hours on the day. What really matters is raising the money for such a worthwhile cause.”
Speaking about the charity, he said: “Children with Cancer UK has been supporting families for over 30 years and puts a lot of money into research that could help to end suffering. Their vision is to have a world where no child dies of cancer; it’s something you can’t imagine going through as a family, so I want to do all I can to help.”
“At United Carpets and Beds we try to support them as much as possible by donating whenever we can and attending their annual ball every year.”
Over the past two years he has taken part in the York Marathon, but he said: “When April comes around and I see everyone getting ready for the London Marathon, I get an itch. I had to do it again this year. The aim is to raise as much money as I can and achieve a personal best time. I’ve already eyed up a new training route that’s exactly 26 miles long, so I’ll start by attempting that!
“I’m extremely grateful for all of the support I have received from United Carpets and Beds, the whole team is behind me and I know they’ll be cheering me on when 28th April comes around.”
Emily Roff, Head of Fundraising from Children with Cancer UK said: “We are so grateful to fundraisers like Andrew from United Carpets and Beds, who quite literally go the extra mile to support us. Money raised from the Virgin Money London Marathon goes towards the funding of life-saving research for the 4,500 children and young people diagnosed with cancer every year. Our vision is a world where no child dies of cancer and the support of our Marathon runners helps us move closer to this finish line.”
Will Hickman, marketing manager at United Carpets and Beds added: “We will be doing all we can to help Andrew reach his fundraising goal. It’s a fantastic cause and we wish him all the best with his latest challenge.”
