I caught the fundraising bug and have raised over £40,000 for asthma research!
Dana, 67, from Shropshire was so shocked and moved when he heard that a little boy in his town had died from an asthma attack that he was inspired to start fundraising for Asthma UK – 11 years later, he’s one of our star supporters’ having raised over £40,000.
How it all began
Around 25 years ago I was diagnosed with asthma and prescribed various inhalers. I found my asthma was triggered by cold, damp mornings, and on one occasion I had to spend time in hospital on a nebuliser. Thankfully my asthma is now under control.
In 2010, I heard about the sad death of a local boy from an asthma attack. He was just two-and-a-half years. I’m a parent myself to Stephen and Shavorne and proud grandad to Evelyn, Jimmy and Joe. I decided I wanted to do something to help raise money in his memory because until that moment I never realised just how serious asthma could be.
Running for Asthma UK, the leading asthma charity, seemed like the perfect thing to do so I decided to sign up to The Great North Run. It was more than 13 gruelling miles, but the atmosphere was electric and spurred me on to sign up for more runs.
My fundraising challenges
In 2010 after doing The Great North Run, I was hooked on running and keen to train for some more. Now 11 years later I have run 15 marathons all over the world, including New York, Berlin and Philadelphia, and taken on more than 50 half marathons. It’s so hard to choose my favourite activity as you never forget the first time you do a charity challenge.
But if I had to choose one of my fundraising highlights over the years, it would have to be when I turned 60 and took part in a boxing match. I was so proud to win after three rounds!
Running around as a dragon
In 2010 when Asthma UK put out an appeal asking if someone would like to run as their dragon mascot for the London Marathon, I jumped at the chance. It's hard enough to run any marathon but to run in a 8ft green, polka dot dragon with big red lips costume was a challenge I couldn't resist – even if I was the age of 55. The rest is history!
When the costume arrived, I was surprised just how big and heavy it was. To try it out I decided to try a small training run around my town in Shropshire. It was incredible the number of funny looks and beeping car horns I had. Social media in the area was in meltdown with lots of people discussing online how they had seen a dragon running along the bypass!
I loved the costume so much I decided to wear it to all my runs and fundraising events. There’s no better feeling than running a marathon and seeing the smiling, happy faces of the children as they clock you running as a dragon. The high fives are such an adrenaline rush!
Taking on the Full Monty
Three years ago, someone suggested I should do the Full Monty. We managed to do just six rehearsals before the pandemic hit and all plans to have it take place in April 2020 had to go on ice. But in November 2021 it finally all managed to come together.
We put out an advert in the local newspaper for people to take part. So many people came forward! Eventually we narrowed it down to a team of six women and six men, it was an electric mix of people! We were so nervous on the night as we’d only managed to practice the original ‘Full Monty’ routine from the film in our last rehearsal before the show.
But the event was a success with 200 tickets snapped up to make it a sell-out. Then the unexpected happened, after the show everyone asked when we would be doing another show. We weren’t prepared for that much interest so watch this space!
You should go for it!
I know starting out fundraising may seem like a daunting task but don’t be put off. It’s so important to use your initiative and do something unusual to encourage people to donate and get involved. I always make sure I always think outside the box – you should too! You can also take part in a boxing match, dress up as your local character or have a themed party.
Fundraising at any time is extremely hard but during these times it can be even harder. That’s not to say nothing can be done. Anything is possible with a little determination.
Upcoming opportunities to get involved
The next event you can get involved with is the London Marathon. You can apply for the opportunity to run with us here!
We empower people with asthma to make changes that can be transformative.
Please donate now to help make sure people with asthma can live well this year.