Butterfly Library will be a fitting tribute to young Zoe
THE mother of an eight-year-old who died in March is to tackle the Potters 'Arf to raise money for a library in her memory.
Anita Wilkes, from Meir Hay, will be joined by 10 friends, nine of whom are pictured with her on the front page, for tomorrow's event.
All the money raised will go towards a library at Sandford Hill Primary School, where her daughter Zoe Keeling, who died of pneumonia, was a pupil.
Anita, of Vienna Way, said: "Zoe loved reading, so we are doing a library full of books called the Butterfly Library in memory of her."
Staff members from the Douglas Macmillan Hospice are gearing up to walk the Potters 'Arf in memory of a colleague.
Around 30 staff and friends will raise money for the Blurton-based hospice in memory of in-patient nurse Gail Baker, who died suddenly a month ago.
In-patient site manager Jeanette McCartney said: "We all remember Gail very fondly. She was a lovely person and is sadly missed by everybody at the Dougie Mac.
"We hope we'll be able to raise a lot of money for the hospice in recognition of Gail's commitment to the hospice."
Family and friends of a man who died of leukaemia are preparing to run tomorrow, too.
Team Hitchman aims to raise cash and awareness for the Anthony Nolan Trust in memory of Malcolm Hitchman, aged 60, of Rode Heath, who died after a two-year battle with the illness. His life was prolonged by a bone marrow transplant after a match was found on the Anthony Nolan Trust register.
Among the runners will be seven council workers who hope to raise hundreds of pounds for charity.
The group all work at Newcastle Borough Council's streetscene depot on Knutton Lane, Newcastle, and are taking part in the event to raise cash for the Douglas Macmillan Hospice.
One of them, 26-year-old Ian Denson, has already accrued £150 in sponsorship.
Another group set to tackle the course is a team of 25 employees from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The firefighters, control staff and support staff are running the race in a bid to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and The Fire Fighters Charity.
Station manager Rob Barber, below, who has organised the team, said: "Over recent months a couple of employees have had close relatives who have suffered from heart conditions and this is our way of showing support to our colleagues."
Hospital porter John Rockey is gearing up for his 15th half marathon to raise money for charity.
He is already running up to eight miles every day before going to work at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, in preparation for the Potters 'Arf.
The 65-year-old, of Mount Pleasant, has chalked up a total of 39 full marathons and 14 half marathons since taking up running to lose weight, after giving up smoking.
This year, he hopes to raise about £150 for ICD (Implantable Cardioveter Defibrillator) Patient and Family Heart Support Group.
He said: "I just love running and I'll carry on doing it for charity until I'm 100 if I can manage it."
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