MARATHON MEN LINE UP
MARATHON MEN LINE UP
FARMING charities will be strongly represented in the London Marathon on Apr 16.
FARM-Africa, the charity which works in deprived rural areas in Africa, is fielding a 20-strong team and hopes to raise £50,000, nearly doubling its record from the event in 1998.
The team includes includes chief executive Christie Peacock and farmers weekly cartoonist Jake Tebbit. "Each 10-mile training session is only as far as many women in Africa have to walk to collect water," says Christie.
Arthritis research also will gain from the efforts of ADAS dairy consultant Ian Ohnstad, who hopes to raise £5000.
Ians decided to run the 26 miles after seeing the pain and suffering arthritis causes farmers on his travels with work. "I see people, if not crippled by it, then severely affected. I see people hobbling around yards."
One of the youngest of the 40,000 athletes taking part will be 18-year-old Karl Haywood, hoping to go the distance for Cancer research.
Karl, who wants to study Agriculture at Reading University next year, says: "Most of us know someone who has been affected by the disease and one in three of us will develop cancer at some stage in our lifetime."
* Anyone wishing to sponsor FARM-Africa, should call 020 7430 0440. Ian Ohnstad can be contacted on 01300-341138 and Karl Haywood on 01480-212345.
A runaway success… Christie Peacock and Jake Tebbit are in the FARM-Africa team.