A MEMBER of staff at the Mitsubishi dealership in Cirencester is getting ready to run a half marathon for charity – dressed as an 11ft tall, bright pink nurse.
Sales Team Leader Wayne Connolly will be raising money for WellChild, which helps seriously ill children and their families across the UK, when he takes on the Silverstone Half Marathon on March 15.
Not content with the challenge of running 13.1 miles, the dad-of-two decided to don the charity’s outfit of Nessa the Nurse, which weighs 2.5 stone and stands 11ft tall with him inside.
Wayne, who has been preparing for the race by pounding the streets dressed as Nessa, said: ’I’m not a runner at all, I hate running, so training for this has been tough! The costume is really heavy and I’ve been getting some funny looks while I’ve been out training but I’m determined to keep it on for the entire 13.1 miles.’ The half marathon is part of Wayne’s training for when he takes on the London Marathon on April 26th. He is aiming to raise at least £1,600 for WellChild from the two events.
WellChild is the chosen charity of CCR Mitsubishi, which owns nine dealerships across the south, including one in Swindon.
Wayne, 41, added: ‘WellChild do fantastic work so I’m really hoping to raise as much money for them as possible. I have two boys of my own and I’m lucky enough that they are both healthy but I want to do this for others who aren’t as fortunate.’ Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of the Cheltenham-based charity, said: ‘We’re really pleased Wayne has decided to take on this challenge and raise vital funds for WellChild. Donations from people like Wayne enable us to invest more money in charitable programmes for seriously ill children, which is great news.’ WellChild provides essential practical and emotional support for seriously ill children, young people and those who care for them to ensure they receive the best possible quality of care. The patron of the charity is Prince Harry.
For more information on the charity go to www.wellchild.org.uk or to sponsor Wayne go to www.justgiving.com/wayneconnolly/
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