STALYBRIDGE Celtic Juniors’ coach Liam Whitehead completed the 56 mile ‘Bullock Smithy Hike’ to raise money for the club’s defibrillator fund.
Liam, who has volunteered at the club for 15 years, took on the challenge with a target to raise £1,200, the cost of one Ipad defibrillator, which he has achieved.
Starting at midday on Saturday, runners and walkers completed a 56-mile loop of the Peak District taking in some of the area’s most spectacular sites and challenging terrain including Lyme Park, Edale Cross, Castleton, Millers Dale and Macclesfield Forest.
Finishing in 75th place from a field of 261, coming in at 5.26am on Sunday, finishers were treated to a full English breakfast.
Liam said: “My only targets were to complete the race and raise funds for the juniors’ defib fund and I was delighted to do both.
“The race was tough, especially the off-road parts through the night, but breaking the race up into manageable sections by only thinking about making it to the next checkpoint, and the jelly babies and cups of tea, got me through!
“I’d like to thank everyone who wished me good luck and donated, the money raised will buy a defib for one of our teams and could save life.”
It is the club’s goal that every one of its teams has access to a defibrillator on matchdays and at training. Once teams move from mini soccer at centred venues to youth football, they play home and away games on grass pitches. Most of these council owned grass pitches have no onsite defibrillator. The defibs will stay with each team’s coach and so will be available at pitch side home and away, and at training.
Juniors is run entirely by volunteers and has teams from Under-7s to U17s, as well as a Saturday soccer school and is Football Association accredited.
If you would like to donate to the defib fund, the JustGiving page can be found at stalybridgecelticjuniors.com
You can read Liam’s account of the race here https://stalybridgecelticjuniors.com/2021/09/07/bullock-smithy-review-raising-funds-for-the-celtic-juniors-defib-fund/