Latest News and Event
Midshire tackles the Greater Manchester Marathon
Posted on
Two members of staff from Midshire recently ran the Greater Manchester marathon in aid of two local charities.
Sales Manager Nick Rose (27) and Engineer John Starkey (40) have taken on this mammoth task to help local causes.
Nick Rose ran to support Valley School; a school based locally in Stockport. The school first opened in 1979 and continues to support primary school aged children with complex and severe special educational needs. The school stands by the motto ‘Small steps, giant strides’ and strives to create a learning environment that celebrates achievement.
Nick said ‘I first came across Valley Special School around 5 years ago, and the first thing that hit me was the amazingly positive atmosphere created by the Staff. Due to the challenging nature of day to day life at a Special School, I believe that passionate and positive staff make the biggest impact, and Valley has these in droves. I’m proud to be able to make a very small difference for a truly fantastic cause.’
John Starkey supported Zoe’s Place, a charity that provides respite and end of life care to babies and infants up to the age of five years old who are suffering from life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Zoe’s Place hospices are the only baby specific hospices in the UK. The Liverpool hospice was the first to be opened in 1995.
Both Nick and John have trained incredibly hard to complete the 38th Manchester Marathon. The Trafford based 26.2 mile course is the flattest in the UK and lends itself well to a good, fast race.
Nick raised £1,000 for Valley School, which has been very gratefully received. Juliet Doherty, School Business Manager at Valley School said: ‘We just want to say a massive thank you for choosing Valley as your sponsor and £1000 is an amazing amount to receive.’
John said about the race ‘This journey probably started in May 2013 when I rejoined the gym with my two ultra competitive friends, who decided to do the Manchester 100 mile bike ride and then egged me on to enter the Manchester Marathon, which I decided to do. The decision of which charity to run for was either Alder Hey because my sister is on the board of governors or Zoe’s Place because my cousin raises money for them. After seeing Liverpool Football captain Steven Gerrard donate 500 thousand pounds to Alder Hey I decided on Zoe’s Place. This is such a worthwhile charity, which depends on donations to survive each year. In fact 1.3 million pounds is needed every year just to keep going. So far I’m proud to say I’ve raised £1,200 and am pushing for £1,500.’
Midshire Marketing Manager, Adrienne Topping said ‘Midshire employees are always on the lookout for opportunities to help local charities. They have already raised over £5,000 this year, and are hoping to increase this total in the near future.’
To donate to Zoe’s Place please visit: Www.justgiving.com/john-starkey74
To donate to Valley School please contact Marketing Manager Adrienne Topping: adrienne@midshirenorth.co.uk 0161 494 3376
