"It's now or never" - Dad organises charity football match so he can do London Marathon in memory of his mum
A South Shields runner has organised a charity football match so he can run the London marathon in memory of his mum.
More than 50,000 people will take to the streets of London later this month as the UK’s largest marathon returns, and one South Shields participant is putting in the hard yards to fundraise.
After previously running the Great North Run in memory of his mum Meg, Alfy Massingham is taking on the 26.2 miles in aid of the RSPCA.
In order to raise the £2,500 required for the place in the race, Alfy is setting up a charity football match.
Teams from The Bridge pub and the Simonside Club will go head to head at Harton and Westoe Welfare Club at 12:30pm on Saturday, May 23 with all cash raised helping Alfy push towards his fundraising target.
“I’m doing it all in memory of my late mum” says the 40 year-old.
“I’m doing this on my own. I’m nervous to be honest. I’m nervous about getting injured more than anything!”
A charity night will following the match.
‘It’s now or never’
“I’ve got no doubt I’ll be able to raise the money” adds Alfy, who says marathon training is “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“It’s now or never to do a marathon.
“I’m doing it in my mum’s memory. She’s always loved animals so it’s something close to all our hearts.”
A new challenge
The Massingham family are no strangers to running for charity. In 2022 Alfy and his brother Paul ran the Great North Run together in her memory, raising money for the Stroke Association and the People’s Dispensary of Sick Animals (PDSA).
The same year also saw Alfy’s daughter, Miya, run 2.4 miles as part of the Junior Great North Run.
Meg suffered an aneurysm in June 2021 and remained in Sunderland Royal Hospital until her death.
The London Marathon will take place on Sunday, April 26 and anyone wanting to donate to Alfy’s efforts can do so on his JustGiving Page.
Describing the reason behind choosing the charity, the fundraising page adds: “My mam absolutely adored animals and was always taking in strays, whether it was cats or dogs or even just helping and feeding foxes or hedgehogs - she just had a love for animals.”