Brighton fan raises £10k and seeks support for Ukraine 1,500 mile run challenge

Anthony Seddon met his wife Anna whilst following England at the 2012 European Championships, held in Poland and Ukraine.

A somewhat unreliable campervan broke down several times whilst Anthony and friends travelled across the country, including one fateful time which left them stranded in Dnipro.

It was during this unscheduled stop that Anthony and Anna first crossed paths. 15 months later and they were married. They now live in Portslade with their two children.

Anna’s mother joined them last month following a five day journey by bus, train and plane out of Ukraine.

Her departure came just in the nick of time; less than 48 hours later, Dnipro was hit by three missiles which left a local nursery burning. Anna’s brother and his young family remain in the city.

Wanting to do something to help, Anthony hit upon the idea of running the equivalent distance between the Amex Stadium and the home of FC Dnipro.

Over £10,000 has been raised already. This paid for medical tourniquets, which Anthony drove to Poland himself on a 20 hour journey.

The supplies were then moved into Ukraine and delivered to Dnipro via Lviv. Anna is in contact with a paramedic friend in Dnipro, who informs the couple of the medical aids most desperately required at the current time.

Anthony’s next run will be at the Brighton Marathon Weekend, where he takes on the 10k distance wearing the Albion’s third choice shirt of yellow and blue – the colours of Ukraine.

To help boost the fundraising effort, Anthony is looking for fellow Brighton fans to join him in running events and asking for sponsorship for the Run2Ukraine fund.

He will be joined by Mark Raven – another Albion and England supporter who was in Ukraine for Euro 2012 – who is taking on the full Brighton Marathon for the cause.

Anyone who would like donate to Run2Ukraine can do so through the campaign’s Gofundme page: gofundme.com/f/run2ukraineIf you would be interested in joining Anthony at a future running event and help to raise money, please email: [email protected].