Black Country runners come together to rack up a double marathon for Samaritans
On the weekend of the London Marathon, visitors to the Dell Stadium ran the equivalent of two to raise awareness of the Samaritans.
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The organisation was the official charity of the famous London event, with volunteers across the country including the Brierley Hill branch tasked with raising awareness of the work they do in providing 24/7 support to anyone in emotional distress.
Hundreds of people of all ages turned out at the Dell including Dudley South MP Mike Wood and deputy mayor for the borough councillor Peter Lee. Members of Dudley Kingswinford Running Club also lent their support.
Four laps of the 400m track equalled a mile and 52 miles were completed on the day by fundraisers, with many other people including wheelchair and pushchair users turning out to support the event and going as far as they could. Around £150 was raised on the day towards supporting the service, which receives no government funding.
In the evening, nine landmarks in the area were lit up with beacons to raise awareness of the charity, and volunteers visited Merry Hill on Sunday as part of a 'town takeover' to spread the word of the work they do.
Brierley Hill Samaritans' deputy director for outreach and awareness Kate Owen said the run was deliberately planned on the weekend of the London Marathon as the Samaritans were the official charity partner and they had been asked at branch level to do the three events around it.
She said: "We had a great time at The Dell, a lot of people came along and did as much as they could running, some just came to watch but to do the equivalent of two marathons on the weekend when all eyes were on London was great.
"As part of the weekend of events we lit up different locations with beacons in the evening and then on Sunday instead of a town takeover we decided to do a borough-wide one, because obviously people from all over the area visit Merry Hill, and we were well received. We would like to thank them and Dudley Council for letting us come in to raise awareness of our work."
Mike Wood said: "This is a fantastic event for an incredibly important cause. The Samaritans do fantastic work within the community, vital work for people who are desperate and at the end of their tether sometimes, they can literally save lives."
For more details on Brierley Hill Samaritans or to find out about volunteering go to samaritans.org/branches/brierley-hill/.
