Motorpoint employee to tackle Jurassic Coast ULTRA 100k for Sue Ryder hospice

14/09/2020

Motorpoint Peterborough employee Chris Northern (centre) with his supportive work colleagues

Motorpoint Peterborough employee Chris Northern is set to tackle a charity fund-raiser with teeth when he completes the Jurassic Coast ULTRA 100k in aid of the city’s Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

The preparation support manager recently took up running again after a serious motorbike accident forced him to hang up his trainers for a number of years and is now aiming to complete the grueling South Coast route in under 18 hours later this week.

He will take on the challenge this Friday (September 18) alongside his friend Dave Edis, even though the official Jurassic Coast ULTRA 100k event, which usually attracts around 2,000 entrants, had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was absolutely gutted when they announced that the 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19,” said Northern. “But I was determined to not let all of the training as well as the fund raising go to waste, especially as it’s for such a great cause, so Dave and I agreed to run the course together anyway.”

The Jurassic Coast ULTRA 100K takes in Portland Bill, West Bay’s famous cliffs – immortalised in the TV series ‘Broadchurch’ – as well as picturesque Bridport.

The route will be the furthest either Northern or Edis have run to date.

Northern said: “We’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with the support we’ve had from everyone at Motorpoint as well as the wider community in Peterborough.”

He added that he cannot wait to pull on his Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice running top and head out to complete the challenge.

Nilesh Patel, senior community fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, said: “We are extremely grateful to Chris and Dave for agreeing to run the Jurassic Coast ULTRA 100k on behalf of the hospice.

“Everyone at the hospice shares their heartfelt thanks and wishes them all the best of luck in their mammoth challenge.

“We know times are tough for everybody at the moment, and with cancelled fundraising events and continuing additional costs for purchasing PPE for our doctors and nurses now, more than ever, we need the support of our local community so we can continue to be there when it matters.

Motorpoint is a long-standing supporter of the Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

Staff at the used car supermarket, which is based on Edgerly Drain Road in the city, have hosted several major fundraising events for the charity, including a drive-in cinema.

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