Training underway for marathon hopeful, Mark

A care home chef with a passion for improving the lives of older people is preparing to face his first marathon to raise money for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation.

Mark Roberts , who works at Chacombe Park Care Home in Chacombe near Banbury, will be the first person ever to run in the London Marathon in support of Barchester’s Charitable Foundation, a charity that helps older people and other adults living with a disability in England, Scotland and Wales by giving charitable grants.

Mark says that it was working in a care home that made him want to run in support of this cause.

“Making elderly people’s lives more comfortable and happy is what we come to work for,” explains Head Chef Mark. “I’m delighted to be able to do more to help older and disabled people by raising money for the Foundation. I’m aiming to raise around £3,000.”

He is training every day in order to prepare his body for the 26 mile race and has been looking to colleagues and residents at Chacombe Park Care Home for moral support.

One resident at the home, Mr David Humphrey is a former runner who ran many different distances including the Boston marathon in 1975. 

Mark said: “David has given me some really good training advice; some old-school and some new-school. David has been telling me to hop up and down steps, which trust me kills the legs, and to run shorter distances but at a faster pace – all good advice. David is looking forward to hearing my story after I have completed the marathon. He said if he was younger he’d be running with me!”

The 2017 London Marathon will take place on 23^rd April.

If anyone would like to show Mark their support by sponsoring his run, they can do so online here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Markroberts79 or in person at Chacombe Park Care Home.

To find out more about Barchester’s Charitable Foundation and the people and community groups they support, you can visit their website here: http://www.bhcfoundation.org.uk/