Neil Murfitt will join thousands of other runners in the London Marathon on April 25th; some running for pleasure; many like Neil running to raise funds for charity. Neil ‘s chosen charity is the Kernos Counselling Centre in Sudbury..
Neil has taken part in several marathons and it was the untimely death of his brother which stimulated his charity running.
"When the phone rings unexpectedly before 6.00 in the morning it is unlikely to be good news. On 5th June 2008, just before 6 am, I heard that my brother had died after a short battle with cancer. That was a wake up call in more ways than one. How do you celebrate someone you have, literally, known every single day of your life? I am no sportsman, but had nurtured a vague idea for several years that I’d like to run in a marathon; so I joined the Halstead Road Runners. Their gentle help soon got me in the right frame of mind and helped get a fair few miles under my legs.
The first 10miles of my first marathon were positively enjoyable, the second 10 bearable and the last 6 sheer torture. However, I crossed the finishing line with a new determination. I even entered the same run a year later - more money raised - this time for Cancer Research. That was to be my last 'big one' but on the day of the race I received notification of a place in the 2010 London Marathon.
This time I’m fairly certain it will be my final marathon and I want to use it to raise money for one of the most deserving local charities that I know of. I have reason to be personally grateful for the quiet, caring and invaluable work of the Kernos Centre especially in their help for young people."
Christine Boatwright of the Kernos Centre said, "We are delighted that Neil has chosen the Centre to benefit from his running the London Marathon. The centre. provides counselling to all.members of the local community and is totally dependant on donations to continue to provide this service. Any sponsorship will be greatly appreciated and will be effective in cutting down our waiting list."
To sponsor Neil you can go to www.justgiving.com or contact the Kernos Centre directly on 01787 882883. More information on the work of the Centre can be found on www.kernos.org