Runners support The Sussex Beacon at Brighton Half Marathon

The charity said there has been an ‘outpouring of local support’ since The Sussex Beacon announced in December it is facing the prospect of potentially closing services. The threat of closure is down to a reduction in the funding it receives from the NHS.

Among the runners on ‘Team Beacon’ was Adam Betteridge, a supporter who started a petition to Save the Sussex Beacon back in December. The petition has now gained over 10,000 signatures but Adam decided he also wanted to take on a more personal challenge and made the final decision to run the half marathon less than a week before the event. Unprepared but enthusiastic, he finished the course and raised much needed funds for The Sussex Beacon along the way.

Simon Dowe, chief executive at The Sussex Beacon said: “I want to thank each and every one of the ‘Team Beacon’ runners who turned up yesterday and gave it their best. Individual fundraising is more crucial than ever for The Sussex Beacon at the moment and we’re incredibly grateful for the determination and effort put in by those involved. Huge thanks also go to the organisers, the volunteers and the supporters who came to spur the runners on. Race day is always a day of pride and passion and we saw both in spades yesterday.”

Other supporters of The Sussex Beacon also attended on the day. A cheque for £2,000 was presented to Mr Dowe by Michael Harris, chair of the Sussex Masonic Charities. The £2,000 was from The Provincial Grand Lodge of Sussex and is in addition to nearly £2,000 that has already been donated by the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

The Brighton Half Marathon was originally started by a small group of individuals in 1990 and the money raised from that very first race was used to help fund the building of The Sussex Beacon. Now in its 27th year, the race has grown in numbers and stature and it is now one of the largest running events in the South East.

For an interview with Simon Dowe on the funding threat to The Sussex Beacon, and what’s next, click here.

For more pictures and a report on the Brighton Half Marathon 2017, click here and here.