Brothers lace up running shoes in memory of their Grandads

Proving that heroes come in all shapes and sizes James, 10, and Daniel, 9, from Stratton have been running 10k a week to raise funds for two charities in memory of their Grandads.

James and Daniel have lost three grandparents – two to heart disease (Grandad O’Rourke and Grandad Steve), and another (Grampy Keith) to prostate cancer. Since 17 October last year James and Daniel have been braving the winter weather twice a week on 5k runs to complete their aim to reach 10k a week over the course of a year. All the money raised will be distributed between British Heart Foundation and Prostate Cancer UK.

The inspiration for the charity run stemmed from James and Daniel wanting to raise awareness of prostate cancer and heart disease, as their Grandads were not aware of the signs. According to the family the losses were not foreseen and very sudden. James said: “We don’t want anybody to feel like we did.”

During this time the boys have so far hosted a Christmas raffle, fancy dress group runs, and are in the process of organising a Zumba night this month to widen their reach to raise as much money before October this year.

Last month local company Freedog, an urban activities centre, allowed the boys to hold their first Zumba event in one of their halls for free. Instead of charging guests for entry, or amenities, Freedog donated the money towards the boys’ cause.

Freedog's General Manager, Tom Clipsham, said: "I was approached by Kelly (who frequently attends Freedog with a school that she works for) and made me aware of the inspiring challenge that Daniel and James were attempting. She informed me that they had planned a Zumba charity event and enquired to see if Freedog could offer some time on its newly fitted sprung floor.

"Freedog has a culture of hosting community and charitable events, so we were happy to be involved. We offered full use of the sprung floor free of charge. The night itself was a roaring success with approximately 35 people attending, raising over £170 for the charity. It was so much of a success, we are now thinking of adding Zumba to our fitness class timetable!"

“We are going to try and run an event every month to help the boys on their way to raising money.  We are trying to involve local companies and get the community to join in” added James and Daniel’s mum, Kelly Kingsbeer.

To date, James and Daniel have run just over 204 miles and raised £1,500 via their Just Giving page which has already exceeded their original target.

Kelly said: “We’re learning as we go, because we’ve never organised an event or fundraised on this scale before.”

A keen runner herself, Kelly and her sister Tanya have been accompanying the boys on their weekly runs which has in turn boosted the family’s fitness and quality time spent together. On top of the loss of their Grandparents, the boys' father, and Kelly’s husband, Martin underwent an operation last December after discovering he had colitis which means he has not been able to run himself.

Martin said: “There weren’t any symptoms, and we thought it was a stomach bug as did the hospital at first. It then got worse and I was in extreme agony, so we went to the hospital and after a few minutes with the doctor they told me I would be going into surgery on that day.”

Both Martin and Kelly said how it’s difficult to convey how proud of James and Daniel they are. “They’re really something – they just get on with it despite how cold it’s been. They’re always so full of beans when they get home. What they do and how they’ve carried on, I just can’t put it into words” said Martin.

Whilst braving the weather, Daniel was out of action for a couple of days with a cold. Kelly said: “We explained to him that people wouldn’t mind if he had a break for a few days, so he could recover, and he just said ‘you don’t get a day off with cancer’.”

James and Daniel will continue their charity runs until October this year, where they will continue their weekly 10k runs and hopefully gain more momentum behind their Just Giving page. This also includes a family trip up North so the avid football fans can visit the brothers’ rival stadiums - Anfield (Liverpool F.C) and Goodison Park (Everton).

For further information, and to donate money, visit www.justgiving.com (Prostate Cancer UK) and www.justgiving.com (British Heart Foundation). Kelly has also set up a Facebook page @triplegs89 for weekly updates.