Woman raises over £800 for two charities close to her heart after running Northampton Satra Size Six

A Northampton woman who ran in the Northampton Satra Size Six alongside the Half Marathon over the weekend raised hundreds of pounds for two great causes.

Ellie White, 38, from Abington, ran 6.9 miles on Sunday, September 26 in the Northampton Satra Size Six, which ran in conjunction with the Half Marathon as an alternative for those wanting to fundraise and take part in the fun of the day but with a shorter route.

Ellie, who says she is "not a runner" trained very hard for the physically demanding challenge and managed to raise over £800 to be split between two charities: The Lowdown and The David Ellis Charity. Ellie claims that all the money raised will make a "huge impact" for the charities.

She said: "The last 18 months has been difficult for so many people and I wanted to do something to help two charities close to my heart, as both have been dramatically impacted by Covid-19."

Ellie completed the Northampton Satra Size Six in one hour and 15 minutes, beating her expected time of one hour and 30 minutes. She, overall, came 59th place out of 80 participants.

The David Ellis Charity was set up in memory of Ellie's best friend's father, Dave Ellis, who lost his life to coronavirus in April 2020. The charity supports The Veteran's Hub in Weymouth, allowing them to continue supporting Armed Forces veterans, their families and those still serving across Dorset.

Dave was the chairman and he served in the Third Royal Tank Regiment and Fire Service in both Northampton and Dorset. The charity was named after him to honour his memory and the work he was described to be "passionate" about.

Ellie said: "Dave was such a kind and caring man who has been in my live since a child. I want to honour him and help veterans and their families, who need support."

Treasurer at The David Ellis Charity, Catherine Scard, said: "We, at the David Ellis Charity greatly appreciate what Ellie endured to raise money for the charity. The effort and hard work she put in will allow us to continue supporting Armed Forces veterans, their families and those still serving in the Dorset area."

The money raised by Ellie will also be split with The Lowdown, where she has been working for 13 years. The Lowdown is a Northampton-based charity supporting young people on their journey towards positive emotional health and wellbeing. They offer free confidential services including counselling, emotional wellbeing, sexual health and LGBTQ+ support.

Ellie, on running for this local charity, said: "I am passionate about supporting young people with their mental health. Due to the current pandemic, I have never seen the demand for our services so high and the need from young people so great.

"Our dedicated team change - and, sometimes, save - the lives of young people in Northamptonshire. Sometimes, just having a non-judgemental space to discuss and address their problems can make all the difference. For a young person, that can have an impact on the rest of their lives."

For more information about Ellie's chosen charities, visit https://www.facebook.com/TheDavidEllisCharity/ and https://thelowdown.info/