Three ambulance crew members will run the London Marathon in April to raise funds

Three South Central Ambulance Service staff — Luke Bawden, Laura Herridge and Simon Donnelly — will run the London Marathon in April to raise funds for the South Central Ambulance Charity, and Bawden is organising a 5k charity fun run on March 8.

Three members of South Central Ambulance Service staff are set to run the London Marathon in April to raise money for the South Central Ambulance Charity. The runners are Luke Bawden, a specialist practitioner paramedic, and community first responders Laura Herridge and Simon Donnelly. The charity receives no NHS funding and relies on donations and grants. Money raised supports emergency equipment and staff wellbeing projects at SCAS. Details: - Luke Bawden is based at Basingstoke Resource Centre; he had a training injury but says he is getting back up to speed and is organising a 5k charity fun run at St Catherine's Hill Nature Reserve on March 8, with a warm-up at 10am. - Laura Herridge, a community first responder in Southampton, began running in January 2023; this will be her first marathon and she aims to raise £3,000. - Simon Donnelly is a volunteer community fundraiser in New Milton and is preparing for his first marathon at age 59; he hopes to raise £3,000 and is reported as just under 80 per cent of his fundraising target, while his daughter Ellie raised nearly £1,200 at the Bournemouth Half Marathon. - The South Central Ambulance Charity is funded entirely by donations and grants and uses funds to provide equipment and wellbeing support for staff at SCAS. Summary: The three runners are raising funds intended to help provide critical equipment and support staff wellbeing at the South Central Ambulance Charity. Upcoming events include Bawden's 5k fun run on March 8 and the London Marathon in April.