Yorkshire running club's epic challenge to raise money for NHS

Members from the Northowram Pumas Running Club, based in Halifax, are determined to follow in the fundraising footsteps of Captain Tom Moore after passing the half-way point in their challenge to run 5,000 miles as a club in 30 days.

Inspired by Captain Tom's exploits the running club has already raised £5231 for the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust - and intends to add thousands more before the challenge is complete in the middle of May.

Join our new coronavirus Facebook group for the latest confirmed news and advice as soon as we get it. More than 110 of the running club's members are taking part in the 30-day challenge, including Louise Heath, a podiatrist who works at the hospital trust and the youngest runner, 10-year-old Oscar Kravtschuk.

Louise said: "The money could be put towards things like more equipment and more PPE as we continue to battle this terrible virus.

"It will also hopefully give recognition, hard work and dedication to all the hospital and community workers from Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.”

He has been running some of the miles with his daughters, Evie and Poppy, who are both also members of the running club's junior section.

Andy said: “It’s such a fantastic cause and a great challenge organised by the club, and I felt I wanted to help as much as I could by contributing as many mile as I could.

"It’s really important to us as a club, and it’s been amazing to see so many members pulling their weight.

"We’ve done quite a few family runs together, and it’s been great to be able to contribute to the challenge as a family."

The runners attention is now concerned to raising as much money as possible to the club's chosen NHS charity.

Aaron Bower, 31, who has run 101 miles so far, mainly around Northowram said: "Captain Tom has really spurred us on, how can he not?

"It's such an incredible thing he did and when we were speaking about trying to make a bit of a difference ourselves - we just wanted to achieve a fraction of what Tom Moore has been able to do.

"We wanted to make our challenge a bit more locally specific for the NHS in Calderdale and Huddersfield and we have several members of NHS staff at the running club.

He added: "I don't think it's an exaggeration to say at the minute that they are quite literally putting their lives on the line for the public.

"We just want to make a little bit of a difference for a very important cause."

To donate visit Northowram Pumas Running Club's fundraising page here. _____________________________________

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