Previous volunteer raises over £750 for The Lowdown from completing London Marathon challenge

“My choice to run dressed as a hotdog was a crowd pleaser. I had a lot of encouragement on the day because of the way I was dressed. The shouts from the crowd really motivated me and reminded me of the fact that I was helping raise money for such a great charity.” Said Tony.

The Lowdown, a Mental Health Charity based in Kingswell Street, Northampton, provides free and confidential support services to those aged 11 to 25 across the county and has done for more than 34 years.

They believe that no young person should experience mental health issues alone and their services include, Counselling, Information, Advice & Advocacy, Wellbeing, LGBTQ+, Youth Groups and Sexual Health.

“The day was brilliant; the sun was shining, and everyone was in good spirits. I kept up a good pace and finished the race in a respectable 3 hours 57 minutes, not bad for my first marathon and dressed as a hotdog.”

“The support from everyone has been amazing and donations are still coming in.”

“I think it’s really important that, as a community, we continue to support the services of charities like The Lowdown. The support they give makes a huge difference helping children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing.”

Tony previously volunteered at The Lowdown as a counsellor over 20 years ago and wanted to give back to the charity that changed his career.

He said “Volunteering for The Lowdown deeply humbled and inspired me. In fact, it acted as a springboard moving from working in factories and agency jobs to a career working with disadvantaged and socially excluded children. I now work as a service manager for Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT). “

Ellie White, Fundraising and Marketing Manager says “We are so proud of Tony completing The London Marathon in aid of The Lowdown. We can’t thank him enough for raising both funds and awareness of our services for young people in Northamptonshire.”

More than 53,000 runners completed the 44th London Marathon on Sunday, a record amount according to the Race organisers.

If you want to support Tony and The Lowdown, please follow the link to make a donation https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/tony-begley

If you are interested in running to raise funds to support The Lowdown’s services, applications for The Amazing Northampton Run on September 15th are open now. https://etchrock.com/challenge/buy-ticket/the-amazing-northampton-run-15th-september-2024?charity-fundraise=829

For more information on The Lowdown and the services on offer, visit the charity’s website www.thelowdown.info