Trustee fundraising challenge in memory of baby Elizabeth
"Just knowing what the money will achieve makes it completely worth it"
LinkAble Trustee Richard Fitzherbert and his wife Ann are taking on a gruelling fundraising challenge in memory of baby Elizabeth.
Nearly ten years ago, Richard and Ann Fitzherbert faced the worst day of their lives, their daughter Elizabeth was born but tragically lived only a few short hours.
In memory of Elizabeth, Richard and Ann will be attempting a gruelling fundraising challenge that will see the couple either run 10km, or cycle 15km between them, every day for the month of September.
The challenge is kicking off on the 1st September and is finishing on what would have been Elizabeth’s 10th birthday - the 30th Sep 2022. The couple have chosen two worthy causes, Richard is fundraising for LinkAble and Ann is fundraising for national charity, Tommy’s.
LinkAble, is a cause close to the couple’s heart, as they discovered after her birth that Elizabeth had Down’s Syndrome. This later inspired Richard to become a Trustee for Linkable and ever since he has been extremely passionate about our work,
“I've seen all the great work that LinkAble do and the difference they make to the service users and their families. I of course wish that Elizabeth was here and could benefit from LinkAble, so it means a lot to help the charity help others instead”.
Happily, Richard and Ann now have two healthy children aged four and six, however this will mean some meticulous logistical planning to ensure each day’s kilometres are achieved. With the equivalent of over seven marathons to cover between them, they can’t afford to miss even one day. The couple are planning a mix of early morning, lunchtime and evening runs and Richard is fully aware of how tough this challenge is going to be.
“We've both run marathons previously, but that was with bodies that were 15 years younger, so this is going to be a huge physical and logistical challenge. It's going to take a lot of willpower to get out there every day when legs are aching from the previous days and we have to fit it in around work, school runs and the kid’s activities”.
To overcome the challenges Richard is focused on the end goal,
“I have seen first-hand the incredible difference that LinkAble makes to the lives of people with learning disabilities. So every time someone donates to the fundraiser, it’s going to help give me that push I need. Even though this challenge is going to be incredibly physically demanding, just knowing what the money will achieve makes it completely worth it”.
You can help Richard achieve his fundraising target for LinkAble by donating through his Just Giving page. Your donation will mean that children and adults in Surrey can continue to rely on LinkAble for a long time to come.