3 April 2024

Going the extra mile for charity

Two members of our team and one of our regular contractors are going the extra mile for charity this spring – taking part in challenging events in aid of good causes.

Duncan Urquhart, our Maintenance Manager, Jamie Brickwood, Carpenter and Handyman, and Russell Warman, of Warman Builders, are all undertaking sporting endeavours to raise money for charity.

Meanwhile our Residential Lettings Manager Lali Anderson, who is a former member of the England under-21s Womens Nets Team, is again playing netball competitively. 

Since taking her job with the Estate Lali has joined the Cumberland Netball Club based in Islington, playing for their Premier league team in Division Two.  Lali said: “We have just completed the season - we had our last match of the season on Sunday 24th of March against Exeter which we won! We finished 5th in the league and remain in Division Two for next season.” 

photo: Lali Anderson + the Cumberland Netball Club

 

Experienced cyclist Duncan, who competed for Scotland in the Road Race and Road Time Trial events in the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, is taking part in the Ford RideLondon – Essex 100 on 26th May with his brother-in-law, Andrew Haskell.

The race will take riders through 100 miles on traffic-free roads, starting on London’s city streets before heading through the villages and countryside of Essex. The pair will be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

“We’re raising money in memory of Andrew's cousin, Laura Kendrick”, Duncan said. “She battled bravely with cancer but sadly Laura is no longer with us.

“We completed the London to Brighton cycle ride, two years ago, which was 56 miles – so this is a bit of a step up. We began training in January, cycling every weekend and adding five miles each weekend so, hopefully, we hit the 100 miles at just at the right moment”, he added.

photo: Arnie Haskell + Duncan Urquhart

 

Jamie, 55, is running the Brighton Marathon on April 7th in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society. He said he chose the charity because the condition is sadly so prevalent among older people. 

Jamie modestly described himself as a “plodder” rather than an experienced marathon runner – but he completed the London Marathon on one of the hottest ever spring days in 2018 in under five hours.

He has been following a strict training regime with a series of timed runs and will be filling up on food high in carbohydrates before the marathon, in line with the advice.

He said: “I did the London marathon, but I think the Brighton Marathon is supposed to be a bit more challenging as it is pretty hilly at the start, although it flattens out a bit in the second half of the run.”

photo: Jamie Brickwood

 

Russell, 30, is undertaking the gruelling Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge, which involves running the entire circumference of the island in two days – 106 km in total.  Like Duncan he will be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He said: “My Mum passed away from cancer when I was younger and grandparents lived on the island, so running there for Macmillian cancer is close to my heart.”

Russell signed up for a 16-week programme of training to get in tip-top condition to complete the run, which is broken down into 52km on day one and 54km the following day. 

He is undertaking a combination of running and strength training – and has already completed a marathon in around three hours 20 minutes as part of his preparation.

We wish all three competitors the very best of luck.

 

Jamie's run is this Sunday 7 April, to support him, please follow the link to his Just Giving page, here:  https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-brickwood-1711048539460

More updates on the team's upcoming events coming soon! 

Team photo: Russ Warman, Duncan Urquhart, Jamie Brickwood, Lali Anderson 

All photos copyright © The Benyon Estate