Eyemouth's marathon man raising money for Clinic

John Laffey started raising money through sponsored runs for the Stroke Association, and he has kept racking up the totals raised.

“Last year,” he said, “I turned 40 with an awful lot to be thankful for. Having spent the previous couple of years trying to get back in shape, I succeeded and found a passion for running.

“I decided to put this to good use and take on a personal challenge to fundraise on behalf of the Stroke Association and run the Great North Run. I completed this challenge raising £877 along the way.

“Soon after, my family found need for the support of the Anne Rowling Clinic, when my sister Sharon Wilde was diagnosed with MS.

“This pushed me into deciding I could and most certainly should do more. So in 2015, my 40th year, I set myself the challenge of completing three half marathons hoping to raise £1,000 for the Anne Rowling Clinic.

“Sharon told me of the fantastic support she was receiving from them and how they were making real improvements to her life, so this gave me all the motivation I needed to run on their behalf.

“I chose the Edinburgh Half Marathon, Great North Run and Birmingham Half Marathon. I was given the extra motivation to succeed by the support of my employer Big Yellow Self Storage Ltd, who not only continue to make very generous donations towards my goals but also made the Anne Rowling Clinic their official nominated Charity in Scotland as well as supporting the MS Society throughout many of their northern stores.

“I’m pleased to say that despite a lot of ups and downs and countless injuries, with the support of friends, family and Big Yellow, the challenge was completed with some great experiences which I will keep forever and £1567.00 raised.”

And this year John committed to a even greater challenge.

“2016 has seen me complete the Paris Marathon in April, before taking on Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday, May 29.

“So last weekend saw me take to the streets of Paris to undertake the Paris Marathon, it was the 40th running of the race so a landmark race in my own 40th year! The day was very hot, beautiful for sightseeing in Paris but not so good for running 26 miles. I ran with my close friend Keith Adamson, formerly of Eyemouth: we set off from the start in wonder at the stunning location and no small amount of nerves. We each carried a Saltire flag around the 26 miles and this brought us an incredible amount of support. With the support on the day and family and friends back home having donated so much in the way of donations and motivation, we were not going to be beaten.

“I have raised over £2,400 for the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. I am always amazed by people’s generosity; it should never be underestimated, where it may come from.

To learn more visit www.justgiving.com/John-Laffey1.