Andy Sterry, 48, from Barling Magna aims to complete six marathon majors before his 50^th birthday next October, to raise vital funds for the local children’s cancer support charity, Gold Geese.

The father of twins, who beat cancer himself in 2015, has already completed the New York and London Marathons and will be running the Berlin and Chicago events this autumn. He plans to run the two remaining marathons in 2024.

Andy hopes to raise £3000 for Gold Geese, who provide practical and emotional support to families of children and young people fighting cancer in Southend and Basildon.

Support is tailored to each family’s needs and ranges from funding for mental health therapy and food shop vouchers to toys, weekend trips away and practical help with travel to and from the hospital. This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and the charity’s annual Go Gold campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer.

Fundraiser Andy Sterry says:

“When I complete this challenge I’ll have run over 157 miles across three continents, not including the many miles of training pounding the pavements! I suspect my friends think this may be a clear indication of a midlife crisis, but I set myself the Marathon Majors challenge after I became a trustee of Gold Geese last year. It’s a cause close to my heart, having personally recovered from cancer myself, and since becoming involved in the charity I’ve been blown away by the work they do for local families.”

To donate on Andy’s fundraising page visit https://bit.ly/GoldGeeseAndy

Katie Southgate, founder of Gold Geese, says:

“We’re in awe of the many miles, blisters and hours of training Andy’s putting in to prepare for these six marathons and we’re hugely grateful he chose to fundraise for us. Around 1,900 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, and it causes a huge upheaval for everyone in the family – emotionally, physically and often financially. Gold Geese is there every step of the way. Our slogan is ‘We Fly Together’ because geese are a team and no one is left behind.”

• A donation of £20 could provide toys or comfy new pyjamas for a child with cancer staying in hospital
• £45 funds an hour’s counselling session for a bereaved family
• £280 funds a memorial bench for a child who has passed away
• £400 funds a big end-of-treatment celebration for friends and family
• £700 covers the cost of a weekend away for a family to offer respite

For more information about the charity or to learn the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer visit www.goldgeese.org.

• Contact us at facebook.com/goldgeesecharity; instagram.com/goldgeese

About childhood cancer [taken from www.cancerresearchuk.org.uk]

• Children’s cancer is much less common than adult cancer.
• In the UK around 1,900 children (aged 0 – 14 years) get diagnosed with cancer each year. This number includes non-cancerous (benign) brain tumours.
• Children develop different types of cancers than adults but they often have the same types of treatments.
• Cancer symptoms can be similar to those of other childhood illnesses. For signs and symptoms visit goldgeese.org.
• If you have any concerns about your child’s health contact your doctor. Gold Geese staff are not medically trained.