A Witney man is getting ready to lace up his trainers and pound the streets of Reading this month to support an Oxfordshire fundraising organisation that changes young lives.
Matthew Hambridge, 35, who works at Cottsway Housing Association in Witney, is stepping up to take on his second half marathon in five months to raise funds for Play2Give.
Matthew, proud father of three, will be pounding the Reading Half Marathon on Sunday, March 19th to support P2G’s £10k in 10 appeal. The proceeds of which he raises through sponsorship will be put towards their 10th anniversary fundraising for the Children’s Hospital at the John Radcliffe.
Matt, who is no stranger to half marathons, completed last October’s Oxford Half Marathon and has supported P2G for a number of years, a cause close to his heart. His efforts to raise funds for P2G helped the group achieve a £40,000 target to sponsor its room on the teenage ward at the children’s hospital, which also over the years helped pay for vital medical equipment, entertainment, and medical research after the hospital was opened in 2007.
Mr Hambridge says: “I became inspired to support the work and fundraising ethos of P2G after meeting the founder and former Chox patient, Andrew Baker. I met Andrew in 2009 at a football tournament of which I entered a team, and also by knowing Dale Harris over many years, whose 14-year-old daughter Mya has been treated by the hospital since day one for spina bifida, so I wanted to be involved in some way.
“I have also played in a couple of charity matches as well as foregoing shaving for a month for ‘Movember’ and help sell wristbands as P2G’s merchandise, all over the years to help raise funds and I’ll continue to do so for years to come.”
He hopes to raise up to ÂŁ200 through sponsorship.
Matthew can be sponsored at:- www.make-a-donation.org/fundraisers/matthew-hambridge-2
Funds he raises will support P2G’s aim to help the Children’s Hospital raise £2 million this year to fund a new parental accommodation unit, specialised medical equipment and new play areas.
The 13.1-mile gruelling run on the 19th March starts in the town’s Green Park and finishes at the Madjeski Stadium.
Craig Harris, of Bicester, whose helped the core P2G team for many years, is also gearing up for his own running mission. He is taking part in the London Marathon next month to raise money for the Children’s Hospital through the 26.2-miles of the capital.
Picture – Attached. Matthew Hambridge after completing the Oxford Half Marathon last October. He will again adorn his customised vest on the run to raise awareness of P2G and the Children’s Hospital.