A Supporter Care Assistant at the Royal United Hospital in Bath has run the equivalent distance of four marathons in just one month and raised £850 to show his personal appreciation for his fellow staff.
26-year-old Danny O’Callaghan from Twerton set out to run 105 miles in February and finished the challenge, wearing a fancy dress nurse’s uniform to celebrate, on the last day of the month.
Danny said: “I’ve worked at the RUH for over 10 years and during this time I’ve had the opportunity and pleasure to work alongside some hard-working and friendly colleagues.
“I now work for hospital’s charity, The Forever Friends Appeal so I see how donations make such a huge difference to patients and staff, especially during the pandemic when we were delivering care packages to the wards.
“I’m very much a social person, but as I’ve been unable to meet up with friends I thought I’d combine my two biggest passions which are running and working at the RUH and attempt to run four marathons in February.
“Each week, I ran 26 miles and did it in all weathers, mostly after work. I’m so grateful to everyone who has sponsored me as I know that the funds will be put to good use.”
Danny’s commitment to supporting the hospital and his colleagues hasn’t stopped there, as he also put himself forward to work as the Material Management Coordinator at the Large Vaccination Centre at Bath Racecourse.
He said: “I will always like do my very best to help others, so when I heard about the Vaccination Centre, I wanted to help.
“As I have many years’ experience of working in the hospital’s supplies department, I was over the moon when I was asked to oversee all the stock at the centre.
“I jumped at the opportunity, as this role was perfect for me as I knew I could really shine and make the biggest impact towards the work that was taking place at the Vaccination Centre.
“I set up a storeroom to allow quick and easy access for the staff, I also look after ordering, taking stock checks, and I make sure all the PPE stock and other supplies are there to enable the centre runs smoothly and I go there after work every day.
“It’s been truly amazing working in the Vaccination Centre seeing colleagues working together to achieve one simple goal.
“Everyone’s doing such a wonderful job with a massive smile on their face and for me when we get through this, I think this year will go down in history and knowing that I will be a part of that makes me incredibly proud!”
Deputy Head of Fundraising for The Forever Friends Appeal, Richard Gyde added: “Danny works incredibly hard and is a valued member of the fundraising team.
“His willingness to help support our hospital colleagues just shows how much of a wonderful, kind-hearted person he is and everyone is grateful for what he is doing to help.”
If you would like to show Danny your support in fundraising for the RUH, you can make a donation on his Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/danny-o-callaghan3.