MARK Thomas ran seven marathons in seven months to raise £1,300 for Cotswold Care Hospice.

The 48-year-old completed the Coastal Trail Series which included demanding coastal trails in the Gower, Dorset, Anglesey, South Devon, Northumberland, Exmoor and Pembrokeshire.

Mark is general manager for Nexgen, part of Ecotricity.

A keen runner, he is group leader with Stroud running club Cotswold Allrunners.

“A close relative received such wonderful care and support from the hospice during a difficult time that I wanted to give something back in return,” he said.

For Mark one of the most enjoyable runs was South Devon.

“The extreme conditions added to the experience,” he said.

“It was during the storms in February with 80mph head winds and hail stones and then sunshine.”
The hardest run was in Northumberland.

“I was still fatigued by the run three weeks earlier and I set off too fast over the first 7.5 miles and paid in the second half.”

“As someone who has just run my first 10km run, I am in awe of Mark’s achievements and his fantastic support of Cotswold Care,” said Allie Hogsbjerg, head of fundraising and marketing.

lThe Cotswold Care Hospice needs a volunteer to help test electrical goods for its charity shops.
The charity has been inundated with donations of everything from toasters to lamps at its 14 shops.

Before they can be resold each electrical good must be go through Portable Appliance Testing.

The hospice is appealing for volunteers who are willing to be trained to do the testing.

“It’s not complicated. All you need is a basic understanding of household electrics,” said Di Garland, retail operations manager for the charity.

The volunteers would be based at the charity’s warehouse in Nailsworth.

To find out more about the role email di.garland@cotswoldcare.org.uk or call 01453 836715.

Every year money raised from the shops helps to pay for services which the Cotswold Care hospice provides for people coping with life-limiting diseases.