Tom goes the distance in London to raise thousands for charity in memory of Whittlesey firefighter

An on-call firefighter from Thorney has raised £2,500 for the British Heart Foundation in memory of his Uncle, a popular firefighter who died at home from a cardiac arrest last year.
Tom Bingley with his London Marathon finishing medalTom Bingley with his London Marathon finishing medal
Tom Bingley with his London Marathon finishing medal

Tom Bingley, 27, completed the London Marathon in 4 hours 27 minutes on Sunday, April 23, in memory of his uncle Malcolm Bean who died from a sudden cardiac arrest last January.

Malcolm, 57, who served as an on-call firefighter at Whittlesey Fire Station for over 30 years, had been running on the treadmill when he collapsed suddenly, and sadly could not be revived.

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Losing his uncle so suddenly inspired Tom to go on to become a firefighter himself at Thorney Fire Station, as well as take on the London Marathon.

Tom said: “I know my uncle would have been so proud of me running today.

“I just felt so relieved crossing the finish line, and even felt a bit emotional.

“The atmosphere on the day was fantastic and I’m so proud to have been running for the BHF. Knowing that I was running for such a great cause, raising money for their vital research, really spurred me on to the finish line.

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“Hopefully the money I raise will help make a difference to the millions of people in the UK living with heart and circulatory disease.”

Shonali Rodrigues, Head of Events at the BHF, added: “Without the dedication and commitment of people like Tom, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.

“The stories of why our amazing supporters take part never fails to amaze me and it was incredible to see Tom and around 400 others take on such a tough challenge to help us stop heart disease in its tracks.”

Around 400 British Heart Foundation (BHF) Heart Runners took to the streets of London on Sunday for the Virgin Money London Marathon, in a united front against heart disease.

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The legendary event saw BHF Heart Runners join over 39,000 runners to pound 26.2 miles of the capital’s pavements and raise urgently needed funds for the charity’s heart research.

To help boost Tom’s funds further, please visit his fundraising page here.