Stainland Lions raise more than £8,700 for Overgate Hospice

The club chose Overgate to benefit from its 2.6 Challenge, a national initiative to raise money for good causes that missed out on funding from the London Marathon, which has been postponed until October.

With the only stipulation being that challenges should include the numbers two and six, to represent the 26.2-mile distance of a marathon, the Lions took on a variety of fundraising activities, from running 2.6 miles in fancy dress to 2.6 minutes of hula hooping.

One of the club’s running coaches, Mark Pigford, ran up the steps of Scammonden Dam 26.2 times in one session, climbing more than 4,600ft.

The money raised will provide a much-needed boost of the hospice.

Club chairman Tim Walker said Overgate was a cause close to the Lions’ hearts – a number of club members were key workers there while others’ families had been helped by the hospice.

“2020 has been a challenging year so far for the Lions,” said Tim. “In February we were affected by floods from Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, that resulted in us losing most of our kit when our storage container was washed away. Then in March we had to effectively close because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The camaraderie we pride ourselves on as a club has certainly been evident over the last couple of weeks – a positive story that many of us have needed during this pandemic. We would like to thank the public who have supported us and enabled us to raise more than £8,700 for Overgate.

“This is an unbelievable achievement.”