Toby's Bearathon
Last September Toby Fletcher, who plays for Frampton Cotterell RFC and supports Bristol Bears, set out running 1km for every point scored against the Bears to raise money for a local hospice that looked after his Nanny June.
With the support of his mum Claire and hundreds of sponsors, he has now raised more than £12,500 for St Peter’s, Bristol’s only adult hospice. His tremendous effort has even seen him feature on The One Show’s One Big Thank You.
"Last year I ran a marathon in ten days and thought this wouldn’t be that much further but I’ve now run 643km, and I had 52km to run in just one week," said 11-year-old Toby. "That was after the Harlequins match, but their fans were great, they sent me lots of messages and donated so much. I’m just hoping Bristol don’t concede many now because it’s not easy getting up and doing it every day, although knowing I’m doing it for a good cause keeps me going."
June was huge Bears fan
Toby’s Nanny June was a huge Bristol Bears fan and took Toby to matches, buying his supporters kit. His mum Claire says June was in the hospice at first for pain relief, and “the staff helped to get her home for one last family Christmas. She went back into the hospice again at the end.
"As well as treating her medically, they took the time to get to know her, talk to her and have fun. She loved her rugby, so the hospice arranged for us to watch the Six Nations kick off with her. We had a big TV, snacks, a buffet, with flying saucer sweets, her favourite.
"I’m very proud of Toby as I would hate the thought that another person’s parent couldn’t have the hospice. You don’t appreciate it until you spend some time there. The medical staff and the volunteers are fantastic."
Lots of support
Many clubs and fans have been helping Toby’s fundraising and retweeting his progress. His older brother Barney, who is 13 and also plays at Frampton Cotterell, has been backing him too, together with dad Giles, who coaches Barney’s team.
