Sheffield man Mik Parkin will just keep on running for Grenfell Tower cause

Raising awareness and funds for those affected by the Grenfell Tower block disaster is the aim of Sheffield running man Mik Parkin who intends to cover 163 miles for the cause.
Mik Parkin at the end of one of his practice runsMik Parkin at the end of one of his practice runs
Mik Parkin at the end of one of his practice runs

Mik, 46, an area manager for the British Heart Foundation, is hard in training to cover the mammoth distance from his home in Sheffield to London and it will be the longest run he has ever done.

He said: “It’s going to be a challenge, and although I’m training hard, I don’t know what state my body is going to be in at the end.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He plans to get 30 miles done each day, which means the run will take around six days in total. The run begins on Saturday May 4.

He and his girlfriend Claire, who is following him by car, are planning to rest at several places along the route. Some of these are at friends’ houses, while others are rooms offered by supporters of the run that have got involved.

Mik said: ‘I couldn’t do this without the help of people who were strangers before I planned this. Some are people who were affected by the fire, some from activists.

“One man is from a running group on Facebook and another even shelled out for a hotel room in Bedford. Before this, I didn’t know anyone down in London. Now that I’ve been down to visit Grenfell Tower and been on the silent walk, I’ve seen the strength, warmth and determination of the folks down there and it’s inspired me even more.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added: “Some of them will be joining me on the last leg through the streets of London.”

Mik also revealed he had decided to embark on the run last autumn: “The thing that set me off on this was when my team Liverpool were playing against Chelsea. A few Liverpool fans were holding a banner at the game which read ‘Justice for Grenfell’. I was watching that and thinking, you know what, that’s maybe something that you could help out with there, show a bit of solidarity.”

Mik is aiming to raise £2,000. He has currently raised £1,065.

For more visit www.facebook.com/Sheffield-to-Grenfell-Run-602894850138754/ or to donate mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/mikparkin1 Facebook page.