News / Charity run raises £20k
A FATHER of three who ran 370 miles from Dunbar to Shetland earlier this year in memory of his daughter has raised over £20,000 for national charity Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.
Benjamin Napier embarked on the gruelling Chloe’s Tour in July and August in tribute to his one-year-old daughter, who passed away in 2007 after suffering from heart problems and other illnesses.
The 39-year-old was himself diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma a year later, while his wife suffered a near-fatal stroke in 2012, which she is still recovering from.
It has now been confirmed that Napier raised a massive £20,500 for charity by doing the ten-day run, which he also undertook in support of the courage displayed by his close family members.
“I was totally surprised. I thought it might have attracted fundraising of four or five thousand pounds, so it way surpassed any expectations that I had,” he said.
“There was a huge amount of support in Shetland. The majority of that £20,000 was raised by people in the isles, either back home in Shetland or from people in Orkney too.”
One of the biggest single donators was the Anderson High School, which raised £500 after holding a school reunion event.
Napier added that the run was “hard, but really enjoyable”.
“The best bits were when I reached the isles. There were loads of people who joined the run in Orkney, and when I got to Shetland there was quite a crowd of people who did the final run too.
The fundraiser said he would be keen to run a similar route in the near future, but he isn’t sure if it will be for charity.
“I’d probably have to leave it a few years before I can go back to encourage people to donate again,” Napier said.
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