Shropshire hospital worker gearing up for 2020 London Marathon
A new member of staff at the trust that runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals will be taking her place at the start line of the 2020 London Marathon after successfully landing a spot to raise money for the trust's charity.
Amanda Cheeseman was chosen from a ballot for staff at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).
The 42-year-old, who lives near Wem, has only been at SaTH since March, having landed a new role of clinical support worker with the bariatric team.
She is aiming to raise more than £2,000 for SaTH Charity with her marathon effort.
“As part of my role, I give advice on healthy living, including physical activity and exercise," she said.
“Initially, many of our patients feel they are unable to undertake exercise because of their excess weight or health conditions. Despite this, however, many start to make small changes and are soon taking part in their local charity running events.
“I think this is brilliant, and such an inspiration to others on their journey, including me. I wanted to follow their lead by challenging myself to achieve my goal of running in the London Marathon – including all the ups and downs along the way – and show them that I have been inspired by them and hopefully to inspire them in return to make goals and achieve them.”
Amanda, who has some experience in marathon events, admits she could have done more.
She added: “I have completed a half marathon, but then rested on my laurels for far too long. I needed to put my money and body where my mouth is and set myself a new challenge for 2020.
“The London Marathon is perfect. It’s a long-term commitment that takes planning, dedication, determination, and tears and smiles to complete.
“I’m ready to give it my all to represent the bariatric department and SaTH to help support the people of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales to lead more healthy lives and have fun whilst doing it.”
Andrew James, from SaTH Charity, said: “We had some incredibly worthy entries for our one London Marathon place and choosing a winner was a very, very tough task.
“I’d like to thank everyone who applied and I’m only sorry we don’t have more places to offer.
“Amanda spoke so eloquently about why she wanted to run the marathon for us that, in the end, she was the person we picked. We wish her every success in her training and, of course, for the day itself.”
