Some may say training for a 10k run is a big enough challenge in itself.
However, for 26-year-old Ella Walker, from Ordsall, a 10 kilometre race is merely the first obstacle of four.
The fundraising development worker, who has been with the charity Salford 4 Good for nine months, will be running four 10k races in the space of four months.
It’s a total distance just short of a marathon at 24.8 miles.
She said: “Until two months ago I was a proper couch potato, I couldn’t run a bath, let alone a 10k!”
“I wanted to do something that would be a real challenge to myself as I know that a lot of these small groups in Salford face challenges every day just to keep open and keep providing the vital services and support they offer.”
Ella got involved with Salford 4 Good through her work with Salford CVS, who manage the city’s Community and Voluntary Services.
She said: “Working with CVS I get to work with a lot of amazing community and voluntary groups and have seen first-hand the important support they offer to people across the City.”
So far she has raised £310 of her £500 goal.
Salford has over 1,300 small voluntary and community groups that work hard to support people and communities across Salford.
Salford 4 Good is a charity initiative led by a partnership of five Salford-based community organisations.
They help make it simpler for people and businesses to get involved with local good causes through the giving of time, skills, resources and money.
This year Salford 4 Good launched its first grant award scheme, the Fund 4 Good, which offered small grant awards to community and voluntary groups to support and develop the good they do in and for their community.
Louise Murray, the Deputy Chief Executive at Salford CVS, said: “We are hugely pleased that Ella has chosen to do this to raise funds for Salford 4 Good, she is an example to us all!”
Ella’s fundraising will go towards a newly created ‘Fund 4 Good’ grant award scheme, which has already awarded cash to seven Salford community groups this year.
She has been training for the event using the Couch to 5k plan, which she has recently graduated, and now will be going the 10k alone.
Ella added: “It has taught me a lot about what you can do when you put your mind to something and I am enjoying challenging myself and my body.”
Her first race begins at the Etihad Campus on 10 July at the ‘WE LOVE MCR’ race.
She will then run the ‘Illuminations 10k Night Run’ in Blackpool on 27th August. Then the ‘City of Salford 10k’ on 4th September and finishing off with the ‘Women’s Running Off Road 10k’ in Leeds on 2nd October.
She said: “I’m looking forward to finishing the four races and also the challenge of raising as much money as I can for this brilliant cause and to help these fantastic groups who work so hard to make Salford a great place to live, work and visit.”
Donate to the 10k challenge here
For more information about Salford 4 Good, visit their website
