Employees who look after the day-to-day running of Birmingham’s roads have shown an extra special interest in the route of this weekend’s Great Birmingham Run, as they put their best foot forward to raise money for charity.
Lucy O’Grady and Wayne Davies both work for Amey, the company that manages and maintains the city’s highways in partnership with Birmingham City Council. Ahead of major events in the city, Amey’s highways team work behind the scenes to help prepare, but this weekend Lucy and Wayne are going the extra 13.1 miles!
The Great Birmingham Run will be Wayne’s seventh half-marathon in the last 12 months as he trains to run a 40 mile Ultra Marathon and then the London Marathon in 2017 for Children with Cancer UK, a charity he has already raised over £8,000 for.
In contrast, Lucy is running her first ever half-marathon and is more used to wearing work boots than running shoes. Lucy is raising money for Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital’s new Rare Diseases Centre, after seeing the great support the hospital has given to her friends son, Jake, who was born with a rare genetic condition called tuberous sclerosis.
While Lucy and Wayne have been doing their own preparations for the event, their colleagues at Amey have been carrying out additional street inspections, prioritising safety repairs, monitoring roads for unauthorised or unexpected works, removing any unsightly graffiti and unnecessary street clutter, and working closely with event organisers on road closures and security issues.
Lucy O’Grady, Amey’s Customer Service Manager, is looking forward to the event and said:
“I am really nervous about running my first ever half marathon, but Birmingham Children’s Hospital have been fantastic in supporting Jake and his parents through such a difficult time and that is what I will be thinking about if I start to struggle or need that extra push to get me over the line.”
Eddie Fellows, Highway’s Network Manager for Amey in Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to have two of our own employees taking part in this fantastic event for worthy causes. Our teams work closely with Birmingham City Council and other stakeholders to make sure Birmingham looks its very best for major events like the Great Birmingham Run, and it is even more satisfying knowing our support is helping people like Lucy, Wayne and the hundreds of other runners who are taking on the challenge for charity.”
To support Lucy and donate to Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital, visit www.justgiving.com/lucy-o-grady1
For more information contact Lara Thorns on 07843368954, email lara.thorns@amey.co.uk