A quartet of benevolent sisters are set to run the Reading Half Marathon on March 21 as they look to raise money for the Coldstream Guards Charitable Fund.
Inspired by the courage of Sgt Mark Clyde, the husband of eldest sister Carys who was blown up twice in Afghanistan and is still receiving treatment, the four girls are looking to raise £4000 for the Help the Heroes campaign.
Running under the banner ‘Team H-J’ Carys (28), Rhian (26), Bethan (24), and Elinor (23) Hampson-Jones are eager to promote awareness of the difficulties facing troops returning from action while getting fit in the process.
Speaking passionately about the cause, trainee lawyer Rhian remarked:
"Mark was injured in Afghanistan and some of his colleagues more seriously so.
"We decided to do this to try to raise money for the charity who provide assistance to all ranks of the Coldstream Guards, both past and present, their wives, widows, children and other dependants.
“Public expenditure obviously covers a great deal of the incurred overheads but the extra funding raised by the charity helps greatly with costs behind the scenes.
“Money is directed towards various projects across a wide spectrum. Costly housing alterations are covered, programmes providing emotional support to families have been set up and help, training and counselling is offered to returning soldiers looking to reintegrate into everyday life.”
Reflecting on the trials and tribulations of preparing for such a gruelling race, experienced long-distance runner Rhian also spoke of the rigid training preparations which have shaped the lives of both her and her three sisters in recent months.
“Only one of us has completed a half marathon before so it is a big challenge and we have all been sticking to our training regimes since the start of the year, albeit sometimes in about five layers of clothing when running in the snow and rain.
“My sisters have started completely from scratch so they’ve gone from doing nothing at all to running four days a week with an extra 10-12 mile run at the weekend.
“Two of them have said to me that they’ve really enjoyed it and they’ll definitely keep it up after the race is over which is great to hear.
“I told them to cut out alcohol but when you’re running so much you can eat pretty much anything, even cake!
“We would like to appeal to anyone who is interested to make a donation, all contributions make a difference. You don’t have to make a big flashy donation (although they are welcome) even £5 makes a big difference.
“Having had personal experience of the distress surrounding a seriously injured family member we appreciate how much the charity helps.
“Soldiers who have sustained life altering injuries and their families need our support as the effects of their injuries will be felt long into the future. Every donation helps.”
Everybody at sport.co.uk wishes the Hampson-Jones sisters all the best with their money raising and of course with their training for the big race at the end of the month. We urge any interested donors to follow the following links.
The girls have a donation site www.justgiving.com/teamh-j where they have raised over £3,500 so far and a blog www.teamh-j.blogspot.com where you can keep up to date with their progress.