Stamford Town Councillor running the London Marathon as fundraiser for Cats Protection charity

Love for his four-legged friend has inspired a town councillor to run a marathon for an animal welfare charity.

Ed Fancourt, from Stamford, has set himself an ambitious challenge at this year’s London Marathon on April 27 - to finish in the top one per cent for his age group.

The Stamford Strider has begun a four-month training regime to run inside a target time of 3hrs 10mins at the popular international event.

Ed, who serves on Stamford Town Council, believes as well as being near the top of the over 55s age group, the time would also be good enough to place him among the top five per cent of the 53,700-strong field of runners.

“It's ambitious,” he said. “I did 3hrs 15 in 2018 and I’m seven years older now and I want to do 3hrs 10, so it’s going to be difficult, but I just think you might as well aim high.

“If I don’t achieve it, it won’t be the absolute end of the world, but it just gives you some motivation and something to aim at.”

But along with a stellar finish time, Ed’s other chief goal is to raise as much money as possible for Cats Protection.

The charity help an estimated 157,000 cats and kittens a year through their national network, which includes around 210 volunteer-run branches, including Stamford and District.

“I’ve always been a cat lover - most of my friends and colleagues know that I adore cats,” he said.

“I didn’t quite realise the extent of the work of Cats Protection and the many thousands of animals that they rescue and help each year.”

It’s a cause which would no doubt meet with the approval of rescue cat Rafa, who Ed took in eight years ago.

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“I have a cat who I dote on and he’s lucky because he has someone that spoils him, but there’s an awful lot of cats that don’t,” added Ed, 57, who works for a wine importing business.

“The reality is there are thousands and thousands that are stray, that are cold, tired, hungry and suffering, and I wanted to help them.”

Ed held a fundraising quiz at The Cozy Club in Stamford on Thursday, February 20, with several cat-themed questions posed to the teams.

To help Ed support his chosen cause, visit tinyurl.com/EdFancourt.

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