Grantham mother to run the Warrington Way 40-mile ultramarathon to raise funds for Children’s Bereavement Centre, Newark
A mother-of-two is embarking on a ‘scary’ 40-mile challenge in memory of the father of her children, who died last year.
Amy Jennison, of Grantham, will be running the Warrington Way ultramarathon on November 8 in aid of the Children’s Bereavement Centre.
In October 2024, Amy’s children, Fenton and Phoebe Beaumont were just 13 and 19 respectively when they were faced with the sudden death of their dad, Conrad Beaumont, and the charity has supported the family through their grief.
“There was nothing, even in the wildest of imaginations, that could have prepared us for the agonising months that were to follow,” Amy said, “No emotion was left unexplored, shock, anger, despair and an overwhelming feeling of the unfair loss.
“As their mum, I felt unqualified to offer anything more than my love, support and constant reassurance as I attempted to plough through, on behalf of us all, with a stiff upper lip.
“They needed somebody who knew how to navigate what they were going through, and it's not often that children go through that grief.
“What the Children’s Bereavement Centre did for us was an absolute lifesaver.
“Thanks to the charity, they’ve come on amazingly, and it’s not even been a year [since his death].”
Wanting to give back some of the care and support the family has received, Amy decided to take on a challenge, with a fundraising target of £500 for the charity.
Amy has always loved running and described the form of exercise as her ‘safe place’, but she stopped running following Conrad’s death as she didn’t have the energy and couldn’t fit it into her schedule.
Her counsellor recommended she go back and focus on the things she loves, including running, and that gave Amy the idea to do something more for herself, but also for the charity.
As someone who has run marathons and been in several races, she knew she needed to take on a different challenge that would test her limits.
“I don’t know if it is brave or stupid,” Amy added, “I’m starting to get quite nervous.
“I will do it regardless because of the reason why I am doing it, but it is quite daunting.”
She said that she hasn’t set up a training plan as she doesn’t want to take the joy away from running and make it feel like a chore, but will continue to do her weekly runs until the day of the challenge.
The mother of two said that she believes her children are secretly proud of her and that they will always support her all the way.
So far, Amy has exceeded her target by raising over £800, which she states to be ‘blown away by’ and feeling ‘quite beholden’.
People can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/page/amy-jennison-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015.
To increase her fundraising, Amy will be running on a treadmill in the foyer of Asda’s Grantham store tomorrow (Saturday, September 6) to see how many miles she can complete between 9am and 4pm.