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Mr Cross's Charity Challenge

Mr Cross has set himself a huge challenge: to run 12 marathons in 12 weeks in aid of charity.

Mr Cross is a well-known figure at Manor high School as Head of Humanities and Tutor of form K11B. His House, Knighton, has a long association with The British Heart Foundation (BHF), and has raised a large amount of money for their life-saving research over the years. 

However, for Mr Cross, his support of the charity is much more personal: 12 years ago, he nearly lost his father to heart failure, and credits the BHF and Leicester Hospital’s Charity with his survival. Mr Cross’s father, Terry, went on to radically change his lifestyle and improve his health so that he is able to enjoy a full life and spend time with his wife, children and grandchildren.

As this year marks 12 years since Terry’s first hospital admission, Mr Cross was inspired to set himself a challenge: to run 12 marathons in 12 weeks! He is already part way through the initiative, having completed ten marathons since 25th July, and will cover almost 315 miles in total. He is aiming to raise £5000 for the two charities and says, “I really wanted to give back to the BHF and Leicester’s Hospitals as I credit them both for Dad still being here with us today. In those 12 years, Dad has been able to see my son grow up and even see Leicester City FC win the Premier League. The marathons have been tough so far, but they’ve been worth it to raise funds for the BHF’s vital research and the amazing work of Leicester’s Hospitals.”

Sadly, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that charities are struggling to raise vital funds and the BHF’s research investment could halve this year. Hannah Pennock, Fundraising Manager at the BHF, said: “We’re so grateful that he has chosen to take on this very personal challenge in aid of the BHF and we wish him all the best for his remaining challenges.

“Our life saving research is fuelled by the generous donations of the public, but the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means that our investment in new research could fall by £50 million this year.

“That’s why we need the support of the public to back the BHF now, more than ever.”

In Leicestershire alone, there are an estimated 110,000 people living with the daily burden of a heart or circulatory disease. These conditions claim around 2,300 lives in the county each year.

If you would like to donate to Mr Cross’s fundraiser and help him reach his target, please visit:  https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewCross11