…to raise funds for Barnado’s.

As many of you have been warming yourself over these cold wet winter months, through your window you may have seen a few members of the local community pounding the streets of Burpham as they train for the 2025 London Marathon.

Stephen Southgate is one of that lucky group, after repeated attempts over the last 25 years he has been fortunate to gain a place on 27th April to run 26.2 miles through the streets of London.

Stephen hopes that the other runners are better navigators than he is: “I thought on Boxing Day I would run to visit my in laws in Fleet. Google said 15-16 miles, further than I’ve ever run before, I arrived 3 hours later having covered 21 miles in need of some seasonal refreshments. For your information also it is about 7.5 miles to Guildford Rugby Club for Broadwater Parkrun if you follow my route, not 5.5 miles that my phone suggested. I’m learning, but slowly.”

“Overall though I’m lucky, training has been going well. My body has accepted that running isn’t just for a 5k Guildford Parkrun on a Saturday, but it has suggested that at 48, an evening of running, football, pub, is not sustainable. So the football has gone until next season.

“In the main now, I think I’ll stick to the tried and tested Burpham, Jacobs Well, Parkway route which seems like a nice 5 mile loop to avoid any more mishaps.

“If work allows, a highlight is a Wednesday night group through Fitstuff run club, its also usually a safe way to be lead rather than lost (and you get a 10% discount in store). That’s well worth having, running is not cheap, but will be worth it as I sprint down the mall.

“As much as I’m enjoying the running this is really about raising money for Barnardo’s. I first got to work with them at last years marathon, volunteering on Embankment cheering on the thousands of runners.”

The opportunity to run and raise money came through Stephen’s employer financial services company Allianz, who have a team of about 15 runners entered into this years event raising money for their charity partners Barnardo’s.

Stephen says: “The great thing about getting a place through work, is that they offer pay roll matching so every pound raised is £2 for the charity (+gift aid).”

Having lived virtually his whole life in Burpham, educated at George Abbot, where his children now go, it has been eye-opening for him spending time with members of the Barnardo’s team and seeing what they do for children who have been less fortunate in their early lives.

Stephen is asking for the Burpham community to help him raise money for this great cause by going onto Just Giving and searching ‘Stephen Southgate marathon’ or more easily clicking on this link.

Finally, Stephen says: “And for me the highlight may have come early, we had a Barnardo’s training day and we got to run with Daley Thompson and an inspiring speech from Baroness Floella Benjamin. Thanks for reading and good luck to anyone else running
in this or any other event. Please feel free to add me on Strava!”