This article was kindly provided by W.Bro Ivan Hart.
Just before Christmas W.Bro Ivan Hart, a Past Master of St Cuthbert Lodge No.1902 , which meets at Bedlington Masonic Building, undertook a monumental feat of strength and endurance when he completed a 26.2 mile pull of a 1700kg Nissan X-Trail around the track of Bedlington Academy in aid of Neuroendocrine (NET) Cancer and Bright Red.
Ivan, who stands at just short of 5’ 7” and 50 years old, set himself a target of completing the challenge in 24 hours, however, smashed this time by finishing it in just 14 and a half hours.
Before his epic attempt Ivan said “This is a huge challenge, not just physically but mentally too, and I’ve spent hours in the gym preparing for the task ahead and it will all be worth it to raise money for two really important charities.
“These are charities close to my heart. One of my good friends works as a nurse on the neuroendocrine unit at the Freeman Hospital and her mother actually had a NET tumour.
“Another good friend works for Bright Red as a fundraiser, so what better way to help than to assist with fundraising for two fantastic local charities?”
To date Ivan has raised nearly £3000 for two very worthy charities and is still collecting.
Show your support for Ivan’s marathon effort and sponsor him at:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/IvanHart2
Even after finishing Ivan managed to summons enough breath to say “I would like to publicly say how utterly amazed and humbled I am by the help support and encouragement from everyone yesterday. To say it was hard is an understatement! 26.2 miles is a long way!
A very emotional day yesterday and even more so today reading everyone’s messages of support. Every last one of you got me through this! I am aching but doing better than I thought I would.
One person I do want to mention is Tony Blunsum. I met Tony in 1986 when we joined the Royal Marines together in the same troop. Absolute legend! He kept things tight, he pushed me hard he massaged me, he fed me gave me salty water, bananas. He kept the breaks tight! With out Tony I don’t think I could have done it so fast smashing our time! Great idea with getting 3 harnesses on. THANK YOU EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU X
We have raised in excess of £2000 (still waiting for the final figure) for NETs and Bright Red charities.. What’s next?? Watch this space!!!!”
Have you got a good news story? contact us direct, via the Provincial website or social media pages, where one of the team will get back to you