Tarmac runners raise money for charity

Two members of Tarmac have raised more than £1,000 for a special needs school in Gateshead after completing the Great North Run.

Lyndsey Robinson and colleague Joanne Reah battled through the wind and torrential downpours to finish the half marathon together in just two hours, four minutes and six seconds in aid of Gibside School, in Whickham, Gateshead.

 Lyndsey, who is head of talent and development at the Tarmac office in Birtley, and colleague Joanne, senior manager for talent and performance, raised £650 for the school and Tarmac boosted the funds by adding a further £400 to their tally.

It is the fifth year that Lyndsey has raised funds for the school, which is attended by her seven-year-old niece Lauren Johnston who has cerebral palsy.

“It is a fantastic school and I want to do what I can to help raise money for it as it does such great work for all the children there,” says 36-year-old Lyndsey, who has completed the Great North Run five times before. “I was really pleased that Tarmac agreed to add to our fund raising efforts, too.

"It was the first time that Joanne, aged 44, had taken part in the race, which saw 54,000 runners race from Newcastle upon Tyne to South Shields.

“It was exhausting because of the weather – there was water dripping down our noses – but we are thrilled to have raised so much for such a deserving cause,” she added.

Jane Higgin, headteacher at Gibside School, said: “We have a ‘wish list’ of equipment the children would benefit greatly from and a donation like this will certainly make a huge difference.

“We would like to say a big thank you to them as well as their employer, Tarmac, for its continued support after donating £400 towards the sponsorship money.”

The pair are looking forward to presenting the cheque to the school in the next few weeks.

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7 October 2011