Fundraiser bids to run 350 miles across Ireland

A 21-year-old runner is hoping to raise £50,000 for charity by completing a gruelling 350-mile challenge across Ireland.

Samuel Attwell, from Worcestershire, is planning to run from the northernmost tip at Malin Head to the southernmost point, Mizen Head, over 10 consecutive days next month.

He is raising money for a Warwick-based charity that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and said he was also driven to complete the challenge having lost his grandmother to cancer and his best friend at the age of 18.

"If my miles can bring smiles, strength, or support to even one child, then every step will be worth it," he said.

If he finishes the ultra-running challenge, Attwell will become one of the youngest solo runners to have completed the route, the charity he is running for, Molly Ollys, said.

"I know how quickly life can change. That's why I'm doing this," he said.

"When you lose the people you love far too soon, it changes you. It makes you realise how precious time is especially for children who don't get the chance to grow up.

"Running across Ireland is nothing compared to what these families face every day."

He will set off on 18 May encountering rolling hills, quiet rural roads, and unpredictable Irish weather, hopefully completing the route on 27 May, the charity, for which Attwell is an ambassador for, said.

"If I reach my fundraising target, then that money will deliver up to 100 wishes, provide more than 2,500 therapeutic toys and books and support vital projects in children's hospitals," he added.

Rachel Ollerenshaw, from Warwick, who set up the charity with her husband in 2011 after the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly, praised Attwell, from Redditch, for taking on such a challenge.

"For someone at his age to give so much time and energy is very inspiring," she said.

"This is certainly going to be a tough one and I really hope that he gets all the support and encouragement that he deserves.

"I know it would mean so much to him to know his efforts have made a very real difference."

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