Northamptonshire fundraisers gear up for weekend's London Marathon

Marathon runners will start south of the Thames in Greenwich and then continue on a route past some of London’s famous landmarks such as the Cutty Sark and London Eye, leading to the finishing line in front of Buckingham Palace.Tim Richardson, an architect from Astcote, 32, is helping to support the NSPCC including the NSPCC’s Speak Out as well as the charities Stay Safe Schools Service, which deliverssafeguarding assemblies and workshops to teach children the tools needed to keep them safe from abuse.Tim said: “The idea of helping the charity to continue its vital work in keeping children and young people safe from abuse will encourage me to keep going, all the way to the finish line.”Adele Knott, 27, from Kingsthorpe, is running to raise money for a different cause.The fundraiser will join thousands of runners at the UK’s largest marathon as she negotiates the 26.2-mile course in a bid to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity.Adele is taking part on behalf of the charity because she was once a former patient at Great Ormond Street Hospital. At just a few weeks old she required emergency open heart surgery for a rare heart condition she was born with.

She said: “It is without a doubt that the emergency care provided by the specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital saved my life when I was a baby. My heart is strong enough to make it possible for me to complete a marathon and that is only because of the treatment I received from the hospital.

“Training has been a lot more demanding than I had anticipated - I think the only part of me that hasn't hurt throughout has been my heart.

"I am just so pleased I can do this small thing to say thank you to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a cause I am very passionate about. It's going to be a long, slow run on the day but so worth it to cross the finish line for this charity. There is also the added motivation from my family who went through so much when I was admitted to hospital as a baby and I know they will just be so proud.” Simon Turner, Sam Cullinane and Nick Blackmore from Daventry, are also preparing to pound the pavements of the nation’s capital.Simon, who lives in Newnham, should have competed in last year’s marathon but deferred because his wife was due to give birth. He is running for the Silver Star Society at John Radcliffe Hospital, which is where she was looked after.

“Thankfully I deferred because my wife developed pre-eclampsia,” said Simon. “She ended up in the hospital for four weeks."The Silver Star Society offers special care to mothers with medical complications during pregnancy.First-time marathon runner, Sam, 26, from Middlemore estate, is hoping to complete the race in under five hours for mental health charity, Mind and Nick, 47, from Middleton Cheney, is raising money for Spurgeon's Children’s Charity in Rushden after coming across them through his work.

To sponsor Adele please visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/adeleisrunningthemarathon

To find out more about fundraising for the NSPCC, visit: www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/do-your-own-fundraising