Amy paves the way for Amplify Champions

Amy Hargreaves decided to dedicate her first half marathon to Amplifying Voices, raising an incredible amount for our charity. I caught up with her after race day to hear about the whole experience…

Well done on your first half marathon! How’d you find it?

It was a bit daunting, if I’m honest. I signed up for the Farnborough Winter Half Marathon, which was pushed back to July due to Covid-19 (trust me to run a winter half in the summer!) It was a beautiful day, though. The track is set around the famous Farnborough Air Show – it was pretty cool setting off from under the husk of an old hanger!

I noticed when you all began running, everyone looked down at their wrists and started their smartwatches.

Absolutely! It was funny running around the bits of the track without bystanders because you could hear the various bleeps of watches — you could tell who measures in kilometres and who preferred miles!

How’s the training been?

Hard, but good fun! I’ve been doing interval training for the past few months. During the weekdays, I’ve done shorter distances mixed in with strength training. The weekends have been longer runs, anywhere between 10-18kms. And whenever possible, I’ve pulled dad (Jon) out onto the water to get some kayaking and core work in!

Sounds like a good variety of stuff. With all of that pre-work, how long did your half marathon take you?

I ran it in 1:52:34. I was aiming for a sub-two-hour run, so I was pretty chuffed with that!

That’s awesome. Tell me why you dedicated your run to Amplifying Voices?

This charity is particularly close to my heart. I love the passion for seeing peoples’ lives transformed through the support of their own local communities. I love that it is ‘grassroots’, empowering the communities to identify their own key needs and face them head-on – many voices coming together as one. I love their creativity in finding culturally relevant solutions to meet each identified need – addressing issues such as health, social injustice, education, and so many more.

With that answer, I’m sure you had plenty of people supporting you!

The support and generosity have been astounding. When I set up the fundraiser, I set a goal of £500. Last I checked, we’ve collectively raised £1,730, and that’s without gift aid. I am overwhelmed by the incredible support from family and friends and glad that it’s all going to help Amplifying Voices.

It’s a tremendous collective effort. Thanks, Amy!

Would you like to become an #AmplifyChampion for Amplifying Voices?

 

We want to celebrate supporters who go over and above, helping us realise our vision to see communities live life in all its fullness. Have you been telling people about Amplifying Voices? Have you raised some money for our projects through a bake sale? Or maybe running is your thing, too! Or, if you’d like to do something and need some support, we’d love to hear from you. Email alice@amplifyingvoices.uk, and we’ll get you on your way to becoming an #AmplifyChampion