5 marathons in 5 days for local air ambulance charity
A team of 4 will be taking on the challenge raising awareness for the Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance
Four members of staff from the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) are embarking on an ambitious challenge next week, walking a total of five marathons across five days.
Their 131-mile journey starts at KSS's base in Rochester and will conclude in Redhill, covering a diverse route through Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
Participants include a KSS doctor, the Head of Public Fundraising, the Project and Compliance Manager, and Warren Porritt, a former KSS patient now serving as the charity’s Head of KSS in the Community.
For Warren, this challenge holds personal significance, as it marks a decade since KSS saved his life following a head on collision.
The route will take him past the site at which he had his accident, something he says will be an emotional moment
"That spot isn't somewhere where I want to shy away from. It's somewhere I want to celebrate and it's where my life started really. And as I say, the last 10 years of being involved with KSS, I celebrate every day and I have pinch me moments every day
I have walked past that spot twice during training, actually on the spot where I felt when I stopped and just had a look around. And well, that's where my life changed for the positive."
2 years ago Warren started working for the charity, he spoke to us about how important it was for him to give back to the charity that saved his life
"I feel honoured, I feel privileged that I'm in a position to be allowed to do this and to do it naturally.
I was told so much by some brilliant consultants and medical experts that saved my life that I wouldn't be able to do certain things. And a lot of them do with physical, like running and walking.
It's so important to so many people and to know that we're out there for the communities.
You don't wake up in the morning and think today I'm going to use KSS, and the fact that we're charity funded, if I can do anything just to promote that, that's kind of my job done. But it will never be done"
The team hopes their journey will motivate others to challenge themselves, support KSS, and raise awareness of the charity's vital role in the region.
The walk begins on the 18th May with the team departing from Rochester Airport and making their way through towns such as Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, and finishing their journey at Redhill Aerodrome.