Kate Piper, from Battle in Sussex, is running the London Marathon this year for Livability with 4 friends.
She has been a fundraiser in her local area since childhood and says she was inspired by her mum: ‘my mum always was involved with fundraising ideas in the local community. She was a prolific fundraiser for save the children, volunteered at Oxfam and in 1988 ran the London marathon raising money for cervical cancer equipment at Eastbourne District General Hospital. As children it was a given that if there was an event we would get involved.’
Kate chose Livability as her charity of choice because, in her own words, her experience volunteering has allowed her to ‘see first-hand the physical and emotional support needed for vulnerable people within our community. The human body is fragile and anyone could find themselves coping with disability so it’s important it’s at the forefront of people’s minds. I have friends whose children live day to day with both physical and mental disability and see how this affects their standard of living and family life.’
Kate will be running the Marathon with 4 other mums who have 10 children between them, and is hoping to inspire her children to contribute to community charity projects as her mum did with her: ‘I think it is really important for today’s children to have a grasp of how other people live and understand how different situations such as disability, poverty, sickness and bereavement can impact on their lives. Today it’s very easy to live in a bubble but it’s vital we all reach out to others for their and our own wellbeing’.
So far the group have raised over £5,000 for Livability and are hoping to raise even more before the event in April.