KIND-HEARTED Coventrian Mark Woodward is grateful for the support of the city after braving the Brighton Marathon on Sunday (April 2) to raise over £1,000 for the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC).
Mark raised more than double his original target, which will go towards providing pre-therapy intervention workshops for over 600 people waiting to access CRASAC’s counselling services.
Mark ran the marathon in five hours, 54 minutes and 44 seconds, under his six-hour aim.
Over the past five years, CRASAC has seen a 350 per cent increase in the number of people on its waiting list for support, while during that same period, funding has reduced by 10 per cent.
This has meant many sexual violence survivors can wait up to 18 months to get the specialist counselling they need.
Mark chose the charity after dealing with CRASAC in his role as a student success coach at Coventry University.
Among Mark’s army of supporters were his wife Siân and daughters, Rachael and Lauren, while four of his Coventry University colleagues, Eileen, Jenna, Vicky and Tom drove down on the day to cheer him on.
“It’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.
“My wife and children have been the best possible support team and CRASAC, my student success coach colleagues, former pupils and support staff from my teaching days have been amazing from start to finish.
“The original article in the Observer prompted Sue Senior, a former colleague, to sponsor me and I couldn’t be more thankful to her and everyone else.
“I feel great after the run but was not so lively when I crossed the line, but this will make such a difference for those accessing the amazing support CRASAC offers.”
Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-woodward12 to donate to Mark’s page.
