Peterborough grandfather puts best foot forward in marathon effort to help NHS

Del Singh had been preparing to take on the London Marathon at the end of April - but after the event was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, he decided to put his training to use.

Del (57) of Eastfield Road, will now head out on a 10.5km run every Sunday throughout April, hoping to raise as much money as possible for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust’s Over and Above charity. The NHS trust runs Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stanford and Rutland hospitals.

Del said: “The London Marathon was meant to be on April 26, so I have been running to prepare.

“I still enjoy running, and it is great to get out of the house to have a run - I don’t speak to anyone and stick to the rules about staying 2m away from people.

“I thought it would be a good idea to do something for the NHS, and those front line staff who are putting themselves in harms way to look after us.

“I thought if I could even only raise a few hundred quid for them, it would be doing something good. The clapping and applause is a great idea, but I wanted to do a bit more.

“I’ve got my own running route, taking me along Broadway and Westgate, into town and along Bourges Boulevard, past the Key Theatre and the Regional Pool, through Fengate and past Sainsbury’s, before heading home. It is a route of 10km , and I want to do 10.5km each Sunday, so I’ll add a couple of laps of the Sainsbury’s car park.

“If the Government put a stop to exercise like this, then I will do it on my treadmill at home.

“But going for a run keeps me fit, both physically and mentally.

“Running has always given me a sense of mindfulness - I listen to music, podcasts or a Sikh meditation chant. It is great to think about everything and nothing at the same time.”

Del is now encouraging other runners to take on the challenge and raise money.

He said: “There were 40,000 people set to take part in the London Marathon. While I know not everyone can, but if everyone who was going to take part in the marathon did something like this and raised £100 for the NHS, that would be £4 million - we could do so much good.”
The running community is the best in the world - if you are missing your Park Run, or your training, get out and do something.”

You can sponsor Del by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dels-run4ournhs or www.bariatricman.com

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