Grand effort by Rebecca and Richard

Well done to Rebecca Mear and Richard Grafton!

They have and raised more than £1,000 for FORCE by competing in the Great Bristol 10K race earlier this month.

Colleagues in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Bristol, Rebecca and Richard both had very personal reasons for supporting FORCE.

“I ran in memory of my dad, Steve, a wonderful human remembered with so much love by so many people every day, everywhere,” said Rebecca.

“My mum, Penny, is a volunteer with FORCE and we both feel strongly about the role the charity plays. They have provided a lot of help to many people, including my dad, who passed away in 2012,” she added.

Richard’s family have had a link to FORCE for around eight years.

“FORCE has been supporting my father since 2009 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Throughout this time we have been very grateful for the support FORCE provides across the South West,” he said.

Quite a challenge

The Great Bristol 10K was the first time Rebecca had competed in an event over that distance.

“I am not a natural athlete and therefore this was quite the challenge,” she said. “Rich has been doing a lot of running in recent years but this was my first one – we did not run together! I did it in 61 minutes 30 seconds.”

Richard crossed the line in 56 minutes 46 seconds.

Naomi Cole, FORCE Community Fundraising Officer said: “It is always poignant to see people whose lives have been directly affected by cancer fundraising for FORCE and we really appreciate Rebecca and Richard taking on this challenge on our behalf.

“We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who has sponsored them so generously.

“FORCE celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and the charity – as well as the demand for our services – continues to grow.

“All of our work continues to rely entirely on voluntary donations, so the money raised by fundraisers like Rebecca and Richard really is vital. Thank you.”