Diocesan Press Release

Church's Marathon Men

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14 April 1999

The Diocese of Southwark will be well represented in the London Marathon on Sunday 18 April. Charles Barraball, 56, the Assistant Diocesan Surveyor, is running for the first-time. As a sufferer from Crohn's Disease, he is raising funds for the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease. Charles is also Churchwarden at Holy Cross, Motspur Park, Surrey. He is fairly confident of succeeding, but admits he has no special pedigree for it. "At school I came fourth in the mile. I did beat the head boy, but I nearly died in the attempt!"

Another first-timer is Rev Ian Coutts, Team Vicar of St Christopher's, Warlingham, Surrey. He is running for Whizz-Kidz, and has already raised £5,000, which might get him into the New York Marathon, he says.

Veteran marathon man Rev Snowy Davoll, who at 65 years of age retired from the ministry last year, is running for Oxfam. He had special responsibility for the Church of St Anne's, Bermondsey.

Another who has run several marathons is Rev Nigel Stone, Adult Education Officer for the Kingston Area of the Diocese. He will be sponsored for the WelCare Service for Parents and Children, which has ten centres and one associate centre, spread across the Diocese, in East Surrey, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark & Camberwell, Sutton, Wandsworth and Croydon.

One of the churches of the Diocese, Christ Church at East Greenwich, is altering its service time on Sunday morning so that members of the congregation can greet marathon runners with a drink and a cheering word and offer a 'comfort stop'. This has become their practice on marathon day, and this year the Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Rev Colin Buchanan, will be there with them.

Ends.