London Marathon run to raise funds for colleague’s inspirational charity

Office manager at Luscombe Drinks, Natalie Cook, is going the extra mile this April to raise awareness and funds for Paignton-based Leah’s Fairy Fund. On Sunday 22nd April, Natalie will be pounding the streets of London and clocking up 26.2 miles as she aims to complete the 2018 London Marathon.

With a fundraising target of £3,500, Natalie is running for Leah’s Fairy Fund, a charity set up by her work colleague Wayne Martin. Wayne and his wife Joanne set up the charity after their daughter Leah was diagnosed with a high-grade medulloblastoma at the age of just two years old.

Natalie, who has always dreamt of running the London Marathon, started her marathon journey seven years ago and has since clocked up many miles training and running in races around the country. Last June she ran the Torbay Half Marathon for Brain Tumour Research, raising much needed funds.

Leah’s Fairy Fund has been set up under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research, the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours. Leah’s Fairy Fund supports the charity’s pioneering work, in particular their Centre of Excellence at the University of Plymouth.

Commenting on the fundraising campaign, Natalie said: “I got to know Leah and her family through working with her Dad, Wayne, at Luscombe Drinks. They are all an inspiration. Not only is Leah such a determined little girl, but the family have faced so much adversity and yet they are always so positive. I wanted to do something to help their fundraising efforts and to show my appreciation of Wayne and the family, I thought the London Marathon was an ideal opportunity to do this.”

Wayne Martin, father of Leah and IT and engineering manager at Luscombe Drinks added: “We are extremely grateful to Nat for supporting Leah’s Fairy Fund and for taking on the London Marathon in Leah’s name.”

If you have been inspired by Leah’s story and would like to sponsor Natalie’s marathon run, please visit her JustGiving page - www.justgiving.com/NatCookLondonbaby. Further information about Leah’s Fairy Fund and their work can be found at www.fairyfund.org and www.braintumourresearch.org.