ASTLE EMPLOYEE IS ON THE RUN FOR CANCER RESEARCH
News release
27th February 2012
A workshop controller from Astle BMW in Grimsby, who lost four family members and even his dog to cancer, will run the Virgin London Marathon in aid of charity.
Craig Scott (30) lost three of his grandparents between 2007 and 2008 and just eight weeks ago his aunt died of cancer. His pet dog also succumbed to the disease.
He says sponsorship backing from his employers Astle BMW will help him reach the £2,500 target for the charity he is running for the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR).
Astle BMW, which is part of the Crystal Motor Group, is planning to sponsor him, with individual members of staff also set to offer him personal sponsorship.
“This is a cause very close to my heart as I lost four members of my family to cancer and even my dog,” said Craig, who is from Bottesford, near Scunthorpe.
“I know it’s the kind of story that will have you reaching for the tissues, but I decided to do something to help rather than get upset. Cancer is something everyone can relate to, so I hope that we’ll get a lot of donations and support.
“I aim to run the marathon in four to four and a half hours. Everyone at work is being very supportive; if I come in with sore legs and hobble around, they understand and people are always asking me about that day’s run and how it’s gone.”
Craig will be running the 26 miles with fiancée Gemma Hayward (25) an accountant, who has also had family members suffer with the devastating disease. The pair plan to tie the knot this September at Forest Pines Hotel and Golf Resort but are keeping fit before then with a punishing training schedule which sees them running 36 miles each week.
Craig said he does not plan to run the full marathon distance before the race on 22nd April as the recovery time would be too long and would prevent him from carrying on with training.
“I’ve run other big events like the Great North Run and the Silverstone Half Marathon, but this will be my first time doing a full marathon,” he said. “I knew I wanted to run the London Marathon and I found out that AICR had a team, so Gemma and I applied for a space and luckily we got through.
“We started training in August, running eight miles every other day and a further 13 miles each Saturday. The training has been tough, but it’s worth it for the cause.”
Managing director of Astle BMW Mike Baldry said: “We are always very proud of our employees when they undertake challenges such as this and try and support their efforts in whatever way we can.
“The marathon will be a hard slog, but like all our staff, Craig is driven and determined and I have no doubt he’ll do very well. He’ll be running with the full support of everyone at Astle BMW.”
Visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/craigandgemma to make a donation. Anyone wanting to find out more about BMWs on offer at Astle can visit www.astlebmw.co.uk or call 08444 702979.
Ends
Notes to Editors
- Astle BMW is part of The Crystal Motor Group which is the largest privately owned car dealer group in Lincolnshire and one of the leading suppliers of BMW, MINI, Nissan and Renault in the county. Visit www.crystalmotorgroup.com for more.
- The group comprises Crystal of Lincoln Nissan, Crystal of Grantham Nissan, Crystal of Boston Nissan, Astle BMW in Grimsby and Scunthorpe and Astle MINI in Grimsby.
- The first London Marathon was held in March 1981, with 7,747 runners. A total of 6,255 of those finished the race. Visit www.virginlondonmarathon.com/ for more on the marathon.
For more information about this news release please contact:
Kate Strawson
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
Kate Strawson
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
kate@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @shootingstarpr
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