Following the tragic loss of a friend, Richard Skinner chose to raise funds for the Hollie Gazzard Trust, and in particular for Hollie Guard. The challenge he set himself was to run 5 marathons in 5 days at the end of August 2022, starting in London, then through the north east of England, finishing in York.
Richard said: ”What happened to our friend left many of us feeling helpless – helpless to stay safe, and helpless to protect the people we care for. Hollie Guard tries to address this by sending alerts when things seem to be going wrong.”
”The run itself was the biggest challenge I’ve taken on. The furthest I’d run up to now was one marathon, so five consecutively was a big leap into the unknown. Fortunately the sun shone, the conditions were perfect and I managed to get round in just about one piece. I was also very well supported, with several people running parts of the route with me, and by my wife and 18 month old daughter who saw me off from every start line, welcomed me at every finish line, and popped up at random points on the route to wish me good luck and toddle a few steps with me.”
The full 5 day route was as follows:
- 27th August: Brockwell Park to Kings Cross
- 28th August: Durham to Yarm
- 29th August: Yarm to Thirsk
- 30th August: Thirsk to Harrogate
- 31st August: Harrogate to York
”I feel immensely proud of what we achieved. We raised much more money than I was expecting, and I’m delighted it’s being used for such an important cause. Following the murder of our friend, many people I know still struggle when walking home, so I’m very aware how hard it can be, particularly as summer ends and the nights grow longer. Hollie Guard Extra is a really important way to help people feel safer, and gives them the support they need in case the worst were to happen.”
Hollie Guard is a free to download app which turns your smartphone in to a personal safety device. It has many features which can put you in touch with your emergency contacts, should you require emergency assistance. Hollie Guard Extra is an optional upgrade to the free service which sends alerts to a 24/7 monitored call centre with trained advisors escalating calls where necessary.
Founder and CEO of Hollie Gazzard Trust said: ”We’re really grateful for Richard’s support and are in awe of the Hurculean challenge he set himself. Since first getting in touch he was very enthusiastic about Hollie Guard and felt it was a cause he could really get behind. He’s raised an incredible amount so far and it will mean so much to our charity and the people we support. I’d like to say on behalf of the charity a huge thank you to Richard, his family, friends and supporters.”
Richard concluded: ”While nothing will ever bring our friend back, it is warming to know that going for a run in her memory has helped reduce the risk of something similar happening to other people.”
Visit Richard’s fundraising page HERE.
