Jemma and Kim Prepare For London

With less than 6 weeks to go until the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 21st April, we have news of two staff members who are preparing to face the 26.2 mile journey...

...First up is The Consortium's Customer Service Manager, Kim Valentine 

This will be the third time Kim has run the London marathon and as usual before any marathon she is training hard. Kim’s Saturday mornings are taking up with at least 4 hours of training, which several members of staff can confirm having seen Kim run past their windows!

Kim has kindly said she’ll raise money for The Consortium's nominated charity of the year,  West Wiltshire Special Needs Activity Scheme. The activity scheme helps children with special needs and their families during the school summer holidays. It is run purely by volunteers who offer fun activities for children such as art and craft, music and messy play.

If you’d to sponsor Kim, you can do so via her Mydonate page. She's raised £160 so far and that’s with only 3 days of the sponsorship site being live! 


And then, Laura Morris caught up with Bertram's Junior Credit Controller,  Jemma Clark... 

1. Why did you decide to sign up?

The charity [Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - Ed] receives no government funding meaning they rely on donations from individuals, groups, companies and other organisations which is why I have chosen to support them in running the London Marathon!

2. Are you aiming to achieve any personal goals?

My personal goal is just to get as fit as I can to race motorbikes next year so having this to focus on training for is a great help and the big push I needed!

3. How’s the training going – how much have you done?

Training for the marathon was always going to be difficult, but with lots of advice from friends and websites I have got a good routine together of cardio sessions and lots of outdoor running in preparation.

4. Do you have a training plan? Had any expert advice?!

I like to set myself targets each time, either of a longer distance or a faster time to keep me focused. I also have a great 30 minute ‘boot camp’ routine which I use for cardio workouts to help build my strength.

5. How’s the fundraising going – have you had much support?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have gained the support of my local community and with a sponsorship form in 2 of the pubs, the tea shop and a little piece in our local paper about my run.

6. How much have you raised so far?

So far we have raised around £300 which is a great start!

7. What things have you done to raise money – any wacky plans?!

As it starts to warm up I am hoping to host a sponsored dog walk along with some cake & jumble sales!

8. Do you have a personal target for your time?

I believe the average time is around 4 ½ hours, however for me, just crossing the finish line will be a good enough achievement! I think a realistic target would be around 5 ½ hours!

Good luck Jemma and Kim...and keep going!