Headteacher swaps books for corgis as he trains to run marathon dressed as the Queen
A Chelmsford Headteacher who vowed never to run a marathon again is dusting off his trainers to complete his fourth London Marathon to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust – dressed as Her Royal Highness, the Queen.
Boreham Primary School Headteacher Ian Bowyer, 44, will be taking on the iconic Virgin Money London Marathon dressed as the Queen to raise over £2,000 for the charity that has kept his family together on several occasions since the birth of his daughter Evie.
Evie, now 11, was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome which affects around one in 65,000 children. The condition, Crouzon syndrome, prevents her skull from growing as it should and as a result, she has had to undergo five major operations, including a skull expansion at two years old, at Great Ormond Street Hospital. During the 51 days at GOSH, Ian, his wife Emma and eldest daughter Lydia, were given a place to stay at The Sick Children’s Trust’s Rainbow House, located just a few minutes away from the hospital.
“The best medicine by far is for a child to have their family with them by their side while they undergo life-changing surgery.”
Since then, The Sick Children’s Trust has supported Evie’s family with a warm and comfortable place to stay on seven occasions, giving them a much needed ‘Home from Home’. To express their gratitude, the family have raised over £25,000 for the charity – which include three marathons run by Ian. Ian will be going all out in April to raise the much-needed funds for The Sick Children’s Trust by running the race dressed as the Queen. He said:
“After vowing not to do another marathon, I’ve found myself promising to run the race dressed as the Queen with a corgi toy strapped to me. I would never do this for any other charity but The Sick Children’s Trust as the charity is simply an amazing one which supports many families who are in desperate need of accommodation to stay in during an extremely traumatic time. By having a place to stay, live and remain together not far from the hospital means you can always be close to your child. The best medicine by far is for a child to have their family with them by their side while they undergo life-changing surgery.
“Evie has a major operation coming up soon – the biggest operation she’s ever had – and she will be in hospital for a lengthy period of time. I’m sure we will need to call on The Sick Children’s Trust again to give us a place to stay and having not raised any money since 2013, I thought this was the perfect opportunity.
“Over the years we’ve raised over £25,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust and we are always very proud to support this charity and give something back. This run is dedicated to my beautiful, strong and inspirational daughter Evie who continues to lighten our lives and in memory of two children who we met at Great Ormond Street Hospital.”
Samantha Lloyd, Events Manager at The Sick Children’s Trust, said:
“It’s absolutely incredible to see how much Ian has already raised and his passion for raising even more for The Sick Children’s Trust so we can continue to keep families like his together.
“This will be no easy feat running a marathon dressed as The Queen, but Ian has never let any obstacles get in his way so we can’t wait to cheer him along the route on the day. Good luck, Ian!”
To make a donation, visit Ian’s fundraising page.
