Mary Hopkinson Races the Sun
Brownbill’s very own Mary Hopkinson, Quality Assurance and Case Manager, has set herself the challenge to “race the sun”, in aid of Action Medical Research.
The team, “aptly” named ‘Bumbles and Stumbles’, is made up of Lynn, Mary, Angela and Becci, who will be competing against other teams in a triathlon style event on June 15th 2024, comprising of cycling, hiking and canoeing. The catch is, they must complete every stage of the event, before the sun sets!
Mary will be heading out of Bannau in the Brecon Beacons at dawn, on a stunning 36-mile cycle ride, with plenty of climbs to keep her challenged.
Following the cycle, Mary will hike the 9.6 miles circular hike to the summit of Pen Y Fan, which at an altitude of 886m, offers spectacular views of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.
And for her finale, she will head back down, and navigate a 2-mile journey in a canoe around the breath-taking Pontsticill Reservoir before the sun sets.
Mary said, “I am a learning disability nurse and have a background of working with children who have complex health needs, my teammates are a great bunch of friends who are also all nurses. The charity Action Medical research for Children do an amazing job of finding ways to fight childhood illnesses. They have already helped to beat polio, fight meningitis, prevent stillbirths and develop ultrasound scanning in pregnancy, helping to save thousands of children’s lives and change many more. Some of the current research projects are tackling the challenges of cystic fibrosis and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and the research helps to save and change children’s lives.
My daily training has increased and as a team we have already been out on a training hike in the Peak District trying to get some hill walking in and we have a long cycle ride planned at the end of this month.
Although I am a bit apprehensive about the challenge, I know with the support of my team and all the people who have bought tickets to our social event, donated via Just Giving or bought raffle tickets I will complete this.”
To raise funds, Mary is hosting a fundraiser event in March, with live music, a quiz, a disco and raffle. Some of the prizes include a luxury hamper, tickets to the National Space Centre and a cake made by one of the recent Bake-Off finalists!
Mary’s fundraiser is all in aid of Action Medical Research for Children. This research focuses on child health including problems affecting pregnancy, childbirth, babies, children and young people. This research supports a broad spectrum with the objective of preventing disease and disability for children. For more information see https://action.org.uk/.
If you would like to support Mary on her fundraising journey, please see her JustGiving page:
