Next Tuesday, 9 August, Lord Mayor Cllr Kevin Maton will join 72-year-old local man Tony Cunningham’s year-long sponsored walk to raise money for Warwick charity, Molly Ollys.
If you want to see Tony, Kevin and his wife and Lady Mayoress, Angela, tackle a few laps together on Tuesday they will be at the War Memorial Park at 9am to tackle some laps of the park, starting from the large pavilion near the tennis courts and bowling greens.
Tony, who underwent a quadruple heart bypass, is this year walking at least 10 miles a day every day to raise funds for the charity which emotionally supports children across the UK who have life-threatening illnesses.
Tony took on the challenge in memory of his wife of 47 years who lost her battle with lung cancer last year and so far, he’s walked more than 2,800 miles and raised over £5,000.
As well as supporting Tony’s fundraising, the Lord Mayor is asking people to donate to his own chosen charities – CRASAC (the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre), the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, and the Alzheimer’s Society.
Molly Ollys was established following the death of Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw’s eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer and marks its tenth anniversary this year.
The charity supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It donates wishes, helps with emotional support and it donates therapeutic toys and books to children directly and through hospitals across the UK.
Rachel says “Tony is such a legend. When he vowed to walk 10 miles a day, every day of 2022, I was astounded as that is a huge challenge. But he often walks 13 or 14 miles a day, so he has clocked up way more miles than he first intended! We are extremely grateful for the funds he has raised and the awareness of the Charity that he has created and it is lovely that the Lord Mayor has shown his support by undertaking the challenge.”
To sponsor Tony, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anthony-cunningham5
To support the Lord Mayor’s chosen charities, visit www.coventry.gov.uk/donate
To find out all the ways you can donate to Molly Ollys, visit
https://www.mollyolly.co.uk/learn-about-donating/
