MELKSHAM man, Darren Phillips, is running his first London Marathon to raise funds for Wiltshire Air Ambulance (WAA), in memory of his sister, Michelle, who died in a car accident aged 26.
Michelle died after being involved in a road traffic accident in Devon in 2004. Ever since, the Phillips family, with the support of friends and the local community, have been raising money in memory of Michelle for the WAA, taking part in events such as charity skydives and bike rides.
After several attempts of applying for the London Marathon, Darren secured a place and has since been training in and around the Melksham area in preparation for the 26-mile run, on Sunday 2nd October. Speaking on behalf of Darren his mother, Sandra Phillips said, “Darren’s training has been going well, he has been running for years and Michelle really loved sport too. It helps with his training that he enjoys it!”
Darren is a member of the Melksham Forest Fitness running club and as part of this, supports other local people with their own running. He has also taken part in the Edinburgh Marathon in memory of Michelle, raising funds for WAA. Sandra said, “We are so grateful that he does these events. He’s tried many times to get a place in the London Marathon and now he finally has one!”
The Phillips family have currently raised £18,360 collectively for WAA and is aiming to reach the milestone total of £20,000. Sandra said, “We are so thankful to everyone who has helped us over the last 18 years. We are hoping that Darren can raise enough money to get us to the £20,000 mark, and then we are going to close it.”
If you would like to support Darren and help the Phillips family achieve their goal in memory of Michelle, please visit the JustGiving page, www.justgiving.com/fundraising/darren-phillips31
