Foster Carer’s mega marathon challenge

A Wiltshire woman, who fosters children and young people, will be in the first cohort to have run all seven of the Marathon Majors.

Marion Wilding, who is 65, loves long-distance running, turns wood, and also volunteers at Glastonbury. She manages to share her love for running with her family which she cherishes, completing park runs with her foster kids (one of which she pushes in a cross-country wheelchair!) and running marathons around the world with her nearest and dearest. 

She promotes a healthy and active lifestyle for the children and young people she cares for, showing them how wonderful life can be after they have often come from extremely challenging circumstances. 

The number of children in care is rising year on year with latest stats showing 83,630 children in care in England alone, almost 7,000 in the South West and 454 in Wiltshire.  Magical Marion, as she is known at her fostering agency Fosterplus, shows that foster parents come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Marion lives outside of Swindon, her exact location can't be given for the safety of the children in her care. Fosterplus provides support for children in Swindon and throughout Wiltshire. 

Marion cares for two boys alongside husband David, 12-year old K* and 20-year old R*, fostering with the agency Fosterplus and has introduced them both into running alongside her own family. Her eldest foster son R* has Down’s Syndrome but this doesn’t stop him getting involved.

Marion said: “I’ve bought R* a cross-country wheelchair so he can come on all of our routes too. It does break from time to time but that doesn’t stop us! Even my littlest grandson has started doing Park Runs.

“I want to teach my foster children the value of a healthy and happy life and we all find joy in running. As a foster parent it’s my role to help the children and young people I care for find themselves again after what they’ve been through and to give them a good life.”

Finding time for her own mental health and wellbeing is important to Marion as a busy foster parent and grandmother. She describes running as a ‘safe space’ for her and something she can do for her own wellbeing with or without her family.

After making a friend, Alison, at Park Run, the pair together have gone on to complete the Marathon Majors, running the 26.2 -mile competitive race in Boston, New York, Tokyo, Berlin, and London.  The competition is extending to include Sydney, so Marion and Alison are running the race in Australia on 31st August this year.

Combining her love for running with her family brings a lot of joy to Marion’s life, she said: “Last year I did the London Marathon six days after Boston, with my daughter who’s in a wheelchair and my grandson. It’s one of my greatest achievements and so special because it was with my family.

“We’ve all caught the running bug and I love that I can share my passion with my nearest and dearest whether they’re fostered or not.” 

The number of children in care continues to rise year on year, with more foster parents urgently needed to provide loving and stable homes, Marion said: “People have a lot of preconceived ideas about fostering, but children don’t need an awful lot. They just need your time, energy, and your love. All children in care deserve the same unconditional love as any other child.” 

Established for more than 25 years, Fosterplus is a small fostering agency which connects social workers, education, and care professionals together. Its Southern office is based in Stonehouse and the team supports fostering families and children and young people in care throughout Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and the South West.  

Fosterplus is committed to finding long-term foster homes for some of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people focusing on quality matches to ensure this longevity.   

For more information on fostering in Swindon, visit Fosterplus’s website www.fosterplus.co.uk or call 0800 098 4152.