LOCAL GRANNY AND NIECE TO TAKE ON LONDON MARATHON

Local granny Gloria Benson, 64, and her niece, Sam Coultrip, 25, both from Woking, will race for 26 miles in the London Marathon this April to raise vital funds and awareness for the adoption and family support charity, Coram.

Coram, the UK’s first children charity, provides intensive support for more than 15,000 children, young people and families each year. It reaches a further 800,000 children through its health and social education programmes in schools nationwide. Coram’s expert services include adoption, creative therapies, supported housing for care leavers and family and parenting support.

Sam, who is currently studying sociology at university, and Gloria, Director of local business Consult Hyperion, decided to support Coram because they have seen first hand the difference that creative therapy can make to a child’s life.

“A child I know had creative therapy following a traumatic childhood experience and it made a huge difference to their recovery,” said Sam. “Creative therapy is something that Coram also offers children, so I was really keen to support them.”

Gloria, who is running her third marathon, added: “Coram is a brilliant charity and I’m proud to support the great work they do.”

Sam and Gloria thanked staff and customers at their local pub, the Crown and Anchor, for raising nearly £2,000 towards their fundraising total of over £3,500 so far. You can support Sam and Gloria by donating to their online giving page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GloriaBenson-SamCoultrip.

Coram Chief Executive Carol Homden said: “We’re delighted that some of London’s most vulnerable children will benefit from this charity challenge, thanks to our wonderful runners like Sam and Gloria. The London Marathon is inspirational and a proud British institution, just like Coram.”

For more information, contact the Coram Communications Team: Communications Officer Rachel Jasper on 020 7520 0427 or email communications@coram.org.uk

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Notes to editors

Coram, founded in 1739 as the UK’s first children charity, provides intensive support for more than 15,000 children, young people and families each year. It reaches a further 800,000 children through its health and social education programmes in schools nationwide. Coram’s expert services include adoption, creative therapies, supported housing for care leavers and family and parenting support.

Coram’s adoption service has one of the highest placement success rates in the country.  The charity has been pioneering Concurrent Planning for more than 10 years, a service which places babies with specialist foster carers while their long-term future is being decided. This is so that babies who cannot return to their birth parents can be adopted by their carers, avoiding unnecessary and often traumatic disruption.