A REDDITCH man and his partner will be channeling their inner superpowers when they take on the London marathon next month.
Dressed as crime-fighting duo Batman and Robin, David Clews and Stuart Murphy are running the grueling 26 mile race on April 23 in a bid to raise £6,000 for St Richard’s Hospice.
David was born and raised in Redditch, and now lives in London working as a TV producer, with his partner Stuart, who is originally from Leeds.
David’s father John was cared for at St Richard’s Hospice for three days in August 2011 and since then he and his family, who live in Astwood Bank, feel they have a strong bond with the charity.
“The care Dad received over that short time was amazing,” said David.
“The nurses and the doctors treated him brilliantly. The truth of it is after three weeks in a hospital, coming to the beautiful peaceful surroundings of St Richard’s was such a lift for my dad and the whole family, and the fact that he could look out over a beautiful garden meant a lot.
“Being there for someone as they die is a frightening experience but having the staff there was a huge comfort, we felt safe with them immediately and they gave us space to have time together.”
David and Stuart are no strangers to marathon running either and in the last year the couple have also taken part in the Great North Run, and the Great Birmingham Run, where they debuted our Batman and Robin outfits, as well as the Barcelona and Lisbon Half Marathons.
David added: “St Richard’s is an incredible place and me, my mum and sister will be forever grateful of the care my Dad received.
“Communities need places like St Richard’s which are little pieces of heaven on earth; none of us know when we will need them, but when we do we realise they are vital places that do very special work.
“We are delighted to be able to help St Richard’s brilliant fundraising team.”
St Richard’s Hospice is an independent charity which provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and each year the hospice team supports over 2,500 patients and family members in Worcestershire.
For more information about St Richard’s Hospice visit strichards.org.uk.
Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/DavidandStuartand26soddingmiles to donate.
