Marathon man Allen raises £5,000 for Great North Air Ambulance

A 78-YEAR-OLD former churchwarden has raised more than £5,000 for charity by completing his tenth consecutive half marathon.
Copley’s Allen Armstrong gathered £5,180 in sponsorship and donations for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) after completing the 13.1-mile Great North Run in September.
Mr Armstrong had run the world’s largest half marathon to keep fit in the past but an accident close to home changed all that.
When his son, David, badly broke his leg in three places in a work accident he had to be airlifted to James Cook Hospital, in Middlesbrough.
“I'd like to thank everyone who kindly donated,” said Mr Armstrong.
“It has been amazing.”
Mandy Drake, head of fund raising at the GNAAS, said the former farmer’s running exploits would keep their helicopters flying.
“We are hugely grateful to Allen for all his efforts – we are reliant on this kind of support to survive,” she said.
“It’s a phenomenal sum to be raised by one individual – it’s not often you see people raising that much money on their own.
“We’d like to thank everyone who got behind Allen as we know it was a real community effort and to say thank you on behalf of all the patients as well.”