A dedicated fundraiser who is running 30 marathons for 30 charities before she turns 30, will be putting on her running shoes this International Dog Day (Saturday 26 August) to raise money for her local charity, Battersea.
Lucinda Layfield will be taking to Battersea Park to complete her 19th marathon of 2023, in her epic ‘30 before 30’ challenge that has already seen her run over 440 miles for good causes and she is now set to go the distance to help the much-loved charity’s rescue animals.
Lucinda, who lives in Battersea, said: “I’ve run marathons all over the UK, but this one will be extra special for me as Battersea is my local charity and I'll be doing it in the park just down the road from the London centre, home to the dogs and cats who need that second chance in life”.
“I’m a real animal lover and we have seven dogs in my family. I'm hoping they’ll all have their paws crossed for me as I'm doing my running! I'd like to say it gets easier with every marathon I do, but I still find each and every one tough going. I'm still managing to enjoy it though and it's so worth it knowing I'll be helping Battersea especially on International Dog Day.”
Lucinda is set to run 15 laps around her local park to hit the 26.2-mile marathon distance and will be supported on the day by her partner, and pet Labradors Achilles and Hector.
Lucinda added: “Once I've got my breath back from all these marathons me and my partner will hopefully be looking to welcome a Battersea rescue canine into our lives!”.
The inspiring runner and dog lover decided to take on the staggering ‘30 before 30’ challenge to do something memorable in the lead up to her 30th birthday in November and shine a light on good causes.
By the end of her ‘30 before 30 challenge’ Lucinda will have notched up a whopping 786 miles, over four times the length of the M1 motorway and she has so far raised almost a third of her £30,000 fundraising goal.
Jess Farey, Challenge and Public Events Assistant at Battersea said: “Lucinda is such an inspiration to us all. We really can’t thank her enough for choosing to help our work and we wish her all the best for the run on Saturday. All of the money raised will allow our dedicated staff to care for the thousands of dogs and cats that need our help everywhere”.
This September, pet lovers everywhere are being asked to support Battersea’s ‘Wear Blue for Rescue’ an opportunity for pet owners and supporters to come together and show their love for rescue dogs and cats who need that second chance in life. People can find out how they can help Battersea be there for dogs and cats, wherever they are, by visiting the website here: https://www.battersea.org.uk/wearblueforrescue
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Notes to editors
- Lucinda’s fundraising page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/30for30before-30
- To find out about ways to fundraise for Battersea, please visit: https://www.battersea.org.uk/support-us/fundraising
- Battersea offers love and expert care to dogs and cats in need by rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals across our centres, and by sharing our knowledge and resources with rescue organisations around the world. We do this because we want to help every dog and cat, everywhere.
- In 2022 Battersea directly cared for 2,278 dogs and 2,253 cats at our three centres. We also helped thousands more through our communities programme, campaigning work, supporting other rescue centres and animal welfare advocates, and sharing knowledge and advice with pet owners.
- In addition to the site in London, Battersea also has two other centres based at Old Windsor, Berkshire and Brands Hatch, Kent.
- We’re reliant on the generosity of the public to continue to fund our vital work helping dogs and cats and the people who care for them. To donate to Battersea, visit: https://donate.battersea.org.uk