Marathon man from Sheffield has his sights set on New York

Adam Ainger, aged 32, from Intake, Sheffield, has supported a range of charities with sponsorship raised for each marathon, donating more than £30,000 to The Children’s Hospital Charity, which he will run for again in November.

The dad-of-two, who is an aerospace engineer, supports Sheffield Children’s Hospital as a thank you for the care his three-year-old son, Stanley, received for a skin infection.

“The treatment we received was very good and the staff were always so helpful with us, but we did notice some of the hospital could do with updating, which is why I decided to fundraise for the charity’s Make it Better appeal,” said Adam.

The Make it Better appeal is to pay for a new wing at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, which will contain three new wards with mostly private bedrooms and parent beds, a new outpatients department, outdoor areas and space to play.

Adam, who admits he does not enjoy running but likes the sense of achievement at the end of a race, said: “Anybody can do it. Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do it. When you run marathons, you see people of all different shapes and sizes and they are doing it. Just go for it.”

Speaking of his fundraising success, Adam said: “The majority of my fundraising comes from a really popular football game I created called Last Man Standing. People pay £10 and a pick a football team each week. If their team loses or draws, they are out. It usually lasts about six weeks so I do about five a season, with a third of the money going to charity.”

He is looking for sponsors to develop an app for his game, as well as sponsorship for the New York Marathon.

Tonya Kennedy, events fundraiser for The Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Adam is a remarkable fundraiser.

“He proves that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and work hard enough. From everyone at The Children’s Hospital Charity I want to wish him the best of luck in his training over the next 10 months.”

St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield is also looking for runners to help raise cash.

It is a charity partner in the Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon Sheffield, due to take place in Sheffield on Sunday, April 10.

Last year 200 runners completed the course in support of St Luke’s and this year the hospice want to see even more people wearing pink to help them stand out in the crowd.

The Brain Tumour Research and Support across Yorkshire charity has five places in the Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon Sheffield.

Registration is £25 and runners are expected to raise a minimum of £200.

The charity provides support to patients and families affected by brain tumours and funds research.

Sheffield Indian takeaway and diner, Abdul’s on Ecclesall Road, has donated £2,000 to a charity supporting disadvantaged children and young people.

Managing director Abdul Ghafoor donated cash to national charity Global’s Make Some Noise cash for every curry bought at his shops in Sheffield, Wakefield and Pontefract over a set period.

He said: “We support a great deal of charities throughout the year and Global’s Make Some Noise really stood out as one that was making a real and lasting difference. We would like to thank all of our loyal customers for continuing to choose Abdul’s as their preferred takeaway and diner, it’s thanks to them that we are able to give to those who need it the most.”

Global’s Make Some Noise awards grants to the projects which help youngsters and their families living with illness, disability or a lack of opportunity.

Event promoter Voodoo Sheffield and students accommodation provider, Unite Students, have raised £2,300 for the Teenage Cancer Trust through running special student nights for the charity.

Catherine Foster, of the Teenage Cancer Trust, said:

“We’ve been so impressed with the incredible enthusiasm of both companies.

“This money will go towards desperately needed services for local young people with cancer.”

Rob Smith, of Unite Students, said “We had great fun and everyone got behind it.”

Dean Edwards, of Voodoo, said: “We feel like we’ve made a real difference to the lives of teenagers and young people with cancer.”

Useful information:

To register for the Sheffield Half Marathon for St Luke’s email [email protected]

To help marathon man Adam Ainger develop an app for his Last Man Standing game or to pledge sponsorship for his New York Marathon challenge email [email protected]

To run the Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon Sheffield for the Brain Tumour Research and Support across Yorkshire charity visit Plusnet Yorkshire Half Marathon or call 0113 2473766.

Visit Teenage Cancer Trust to find out about the Teenage Cancer Trust.