Fundraising bride Chantelle crosses finish line for NGH on should-have-been wedding day

Neighbours lined the street to applaud Chantelle and her bridesmaid as they crossed the finishing line
By Carly Roberts
Published 8th Jun 2020, 15:48 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2020, 16:56 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Chantelle was blown away on Saturday after her street came out to support her while she crossed the finishing line. Pictures taken by Kirsty Edmonds.Chantelle was blown away on Saturday after her street came out to support her while she crossed the finishing line. Pictures taken by Kirsty Edmonds.
Chantelle was blown away on Saturday after her street came out to support her while she crossed the finishing line. Pictures taken by Kirsty Edmonds.

Chantelle Esposito, 35, of Far Cotton, should have been tying the knot to her fiance on Saturday at the Guildhall but instead she celebrated raising £815 for Northampton General Hospital.Every Sunday for the past eight weeks the mum-of-two has used her wedding props as part of her effort to race the distance of two London Marathons for charity.

Ahead of her daily one hour runs, she would get her fiance and children to paint rainbows, NHS lettering and love hearts on her t-shirt, which she would wear with a wedding dress tutu, a veil and wedding bouquet.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

On Saturday, she set off on her final race with her best friend Natalie in tow who ran alongside her as a bridesmaid.

Chantelle was cheered on by neighbours who were clapping and cheering for her to finish. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.Chantelle was cheered on by neighbours who were clapping and cheering for her to finish. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.
Chantelle was cheered on by neighbours who were clapping and cheering for her to finish. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.

The fundraiser - in aid of Northampton General Hospital's charity, Northamptonshire Health Charity - started just a couple of weeks after Boris Johnson had announced the lockdown.

It came as Chantelle's friend told her about how the charity was raising cash for iPads and tablets so Covid-19 positive patients could see their loved ones via the powers of technology.

Chantelle, known as Channie the Should-Be-Bride on Facebook, said: "Our community have been incredible - residents have clapped, waved, honked horns and blown kisses and councillors have been in touch and thanked me for raising spirits in the area.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I'm over moon we've raised so much now. On Saturday morning we were only up to £515 and now £815. It's been an incredible weekend with the fundraising and the run on Saturday was beyond what I could have imagined.

"Far Cotton have put the unity in community with my fundraising and with their general supporting of one another during this time. I've never been more proud."

Related topics:NeighboursNorthamptonLondonNorthamptonshire Health Charity

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.