Powerful motives for charity run

Two Horsham residents are all set to take part in the Virgin Money London Marathon and will be running for Action Medical Research.
Matt Simpson with his wife Katie Simpson-PerryMatt Simpson with his wife Katie Simpson-Perry
Matt Simpson with his wife Katie Simpson-Perry

Matt Simpson, 32, is the head of PE at the College of Richard Collyer and says everyone there has been a huge support: “I’ve had some lovely messages from parents wishing me well and there’s a lot of support from the staff and students.

“Some of the BTEC Sport and Travel and Tourism students have run events to raise funds which has been great. Plus it’s also helped raise awareness of Action’s great work which is right on the college’s doorstep.”

Matt has two children: Nathan, nine, and Genevieve, one.

Sue PriceSue Price
Sue Price
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His wife, Katie, has been closely linked to Action - based just down the road from Collyer’s in Horsham - for a number of years having sadly lost her niece, Megan to meningitis when she was just six months old.

“It had such a seismic impact on the family,” remembers Matt. “Any research or projects that can help families not go through something similar is a very powerful motivation.”

Matt hopes to raise £2,000 by completing the 26.2 mile course.

He will join a team of 55 runners taking on the challenge for Action on Sunday April 28.

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That team includes Sue Price, 52, a Digital and Design team leader who also lives in Horsham.

The mother of two grown up children has a five hour daily commute to Hertfordshire, so squeezes her training in when she can.

She said: “Unless I get a day working from home, my training starts at around 7.30pm.

“I try to run with the ‘Horsham Joggers’ on a Tuesday night but I train mostly by myself.”

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Sue’s no stranger to physical challenges – she’s run three half-marathons in the past couple of years.

It was while gearing up for the 2018 ‘Big Half’ that she first discovered Action Medical Research: “I was looking under the charity section of the (Big Half) website. I read about Action’s mission to fund research to help save lives of babies and children and thought what a fantastic cause it was. This is now my second year of supporting Action.”

Sue is well on her way to raising £2,100.

Action Medical Research is a UK-wide children’s charity which funds desperately needed research to tackle the diseases that devastate the lives of so many of our children. It has been funding medical breakthroughs since it began in 1952 including helping to introduce the first polio vaccines in the UK, developing the use of ultrasound in pregnancy and testing the rubella vaccine.

Matt’s fundraising page is at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simpsonrunslondon

Sue’s fundraising page is at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Sue-Price190966