London Marathon returns after 889 days

Homeless man to run past bench he slept on for two years as he raises money for charity by running London Marathon  

A man who was homeless will be running past the bench he slept on for two years when he tackles the London Marathon in aid of the charity which helped get him off the streets.

Jay Flynn, 39, will run past the bench on Embankment which he called ‘No 3 Riverside Drive’, where he slept for two years after losing his job and a relationship breakdown.

Mr Flynn, who lives in Darwen, Lancashire, with his wife Sarah and son Jack, became a sensation during lockdown when his virtual pub quiz went viral after he mistakenly set a Facebook event to public instead of private and attracted half a million people.

The weekly quizzes quickly became a staple lockdown event, often bringing hundreds of thousands of people together, and still take place every week.

In 2020 he was awarded an MBE for his fundraising achievements and he is running the London marathon in aid of homeless charity The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields, which supported him 12 years ago.

The charity supports people sleeping rough and helps them find work.

Mr Flynn said: ‘Martins helped me when for two years I had no help, and I was on my own living on the streets of London and they came to my aid, they rebuilt me, they put me back to being a human and they rebuilt me from a shell of a person.

‘And I said to them at the time, I will be forever and ever and ever in their debt, and I’m continuing to repay that debt.’

He added: ‘It’s the biggest ever challenge I’ve taken on in my 39 years of life because I can’t even run a tap, if there is a bus coming I won’t run for it, I’ll just wait for the next one.’

Mr Flynn’s running route will pass through the heart of Westminster, an area estimated to have the highest number of homeless people on the streets nationwide and where he used to live.

Dubbed the ‘Quiz masters’ quiz master’ by Stephen Fry, since March 2020 Jay has raised more than £1 million for charities, and holds a Guinness World Record for the most viewers of a quiz on a YouTube livestream.

He is also set to appear on Eggheads, in the new series launching on Channel 5 on Monday, and is working with the Captain Tom Foundation later this year as he was an inspiration to Mr Flynn.

Both Captain Sir Tom Moore and Mr Flynn were among the 23 England Lionhearts, a group nominated by the public and created by the Football Association to recognise their efforts during the 2020 pandemic.

The Connection at St Martin’s chief executive Pam Orchard said: ‘It’s down to the generosity of our supporters that we are able to continue our vital services to help people get off and stay off the streets of London and to meaningful futures and a place called home.

‘We do this by tackling the underlying causes of rough sleeping as well as offering practical help.

‘We’d like to thank Jay and all our runners for their incredible efforts in completing the London Marathon in October 2021.’

Youngest runner in London Marathon raising money for medics who saved her life by removing tumour from her gut the size of a large grapefruit 

The youngest runner in the London Marathon is undertaking the challenge to raise money for the medics who saved her life by carrying out surgery to remove a tumour from her gut the size of a large grapefruit.

Lucy Harvey, from Poole, Dorset, was admitted to Poole Hospital in January 2019 with appendicitis, but the pre-op scans identified a mass on her pancreas.

She was referred to Southampton General Hospital where she underwent major surgery, known as the Whipple procedure, to remove the solid pseudopapillary epithelial neoplasm (Spen tumour) along with the head of the pancreas, gallbladder, duodenum and part of her stomach.

Now Ms Harvey, who celebrates her 18th birthday on Saturday, the day before the Virgin Money London Marathon, is fundraising for the Friends of PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit).

She told the PA news agency: ‘I am really excited, it’s my first ever marathon and it’s been my dream to do London and to do it on the day after my 18th birthday.

‘It isn’t exactly a typical 18th birthday, a few people in my year are going out to have drinks, I’ve had a sip of Prosecco and that’s it for me.’

She added: ‘I am running exactly two and a half years after my operation, to show that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

‘I may not set a record time, however by completing this it will be my way of thanking Southampton Hospital and PICU for saving my life.’

She continued: ‘The care they give there is absolutely incredible, I feel very fortunate to have that level of care.

‘Even when you are lying there for the operation, the nurses always have such a smile on their faces and I knew I was going to be alright.’

Ms Harvey has so far raised just short of £5,000 and donations can be made here.

Widow whose husband left her a list of challenges will tick off the London Marathon  

A woman whose late husband left her a list of challenges will tick off the London Marathon when she joins thousands of runners taking part in the event on Sunday.

Mariam Ayad, 37, from Islington, north London, will run in memory of her husband, Billy Hookway, on what would have been their second wedding anniversary although they had been together for 18 years.

When Mr Hookway died from cholangiocarcinoma – bile duct cancer – in August 2020 aged just 36, his widow found a list of life challenges he had left for her.

The list was mainly made up of things to do with the couple’s four daughters Zahra, seven, Leila, six, Eva and Olivia, both two, as well as some personal goals for Mrs Ayad, but at the top of the list was running the London Marathon.

That challenge will be completed on Sunday when Mrs Ayad will be one of 1,500 runners raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, which is the event’s official charity in 2021.

‘Billy was an incredible father to our four girls and a very supportive husband; he was the best person I knew,’ she said.

‘The marathon falls on what would have been our wedding anniversary and I can’t think of a better reason to run in memory of Billy on that day.’

Mrs Ayad, who works as an orthoptist (eye specialist) at Great Ormond Street Hospital, praised the support Macmillan had offered the family following Mr Hookway’s diagnosis: ‘They made it less lonely. The emotional support, information and help we received throughout the experience was vital.

‘That’s why I’m running as part of Team Macmillan on Sunday to raise money for the charity so it can continue to be there for everyone with cancer.’

Manchinder Brainch, 45, from Leicester, will run in memory of his wife, Raj, who died of cancer in 2012.

‘When Raj was diagnosed with stomach cancer, Macmillan stepped in and helped me and our family get through some of the hardest days of our lives,’ said the IT Citrix engineer who has two teenage daughters.

‘The wonderful Macmillan nurses were there for Raj and all the family throughout her illness, that’s why I’m so proud to be taking on the London Marathon to give something back to the charity so it can continue to help so many people affected by cancer.’

Louise Bartha, 47, a copywriter from Brighton, is also running for Macmillan after benefiting from the charity’s support.

Mrs Bartha, a fit non-smoker, was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2016, followed by basal cell carcinoma in 2018 and lung cancer in early 2019.

She had a lung resection and then half her left lung removed.

Mrs Bartha, who has two sons – Dylan, 15, and Tate, 12 – credits running with playing a large part in her recovery.

I am so excited to take on the marathon this weekend,’ she said. ‘The run will be a huge bucket list moment for me and an accumulation of so much hard work and mental resilience following my cancer diagnosis.’

It will be Mrs Bartha’s first London Marathon, although she began training for the event in 2018.

‘I was set to run the London Marathon but unfortunately my diagnosis stopped me, and then along came a global pandemic, all of which is going to make this weekend even more special.

‘Following my cancer diagnosis, I needed the physical challenge to remind myself that my body would still be capable and I’m so proud that I can still push myself to achieve the things I want to do.’