Every mile matters: running for the Ealing Trailfinders Foundation
Club staff and trustees are taking on the Ealing Half Marathon this month to raise money for the Foundation’s community projects. Peter, one of our Walking Rugby players, explains why that support matters.
When Ealing Trailfinders staff and trustees line up for the Ealing Half Marathon later this month, they will be running for people like Peter.
Peter is undergoing cancer treatment and comes to our Walking Rugby sessions every week. Speaking to us after a recent session, he told the team that right now, the Club and those weekly sessions are the only thing keeping him going.
“What can I say about walking rugby? Get involved! Get involved in sport! Get yourself down! I won’t tell you my age, but if I can do it, then other people can do it. Especially walking rugby! I’m worn out now, but it was a good session today!”
Peter first came across Walking Rugby on the club’s website and decided to give it a go. It quickly became part of his week, until his diagnosis forced him to stop. As soon as he was able, he was back with his teammates at Trailfinders Sports Club.
“I was looking at the website. Looking at the usual things, player profiles, etc, and then I saw it, walking rugby. I thought it looked interesting, so I came down on a Tuesday night, and just really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with cancer, so I had to leave it for nine months. I had a PICC in my arm, but once that was gone, I was right back into it. It’s really helped me a lot.”
More than a session on a rota
Across Ealing, the Community and Foundation team help children discover sport, support people with disabilities to become more active and bring older residents together to tackle isolation. Inside all of that are individual relationships whose importance is hard to grasp until someone tells you what they mean to them.
Ian Isham, Head of Community and Foundation at Ealing Trailfinders, said: “When someone tells you how much being part of something we might otherwise take for granted means to them, it stays with you long after the session finishes. You realise that something which can seem quite ordinary on a rota can be the thing somebody builds their week around.
“Having people to talk to, being welcomed and knowing someone is pleased to see you, those things matter enormously. That is what we want people to find through the work we deliver.”
Half marathon weekend
Later this month, on the same weekend as our first home fixture of the season against Richmond, the club is backing Ealing Half Marathon weekend. As headline sponsor of the Trailfinders Ealing Mini Mile, we’ll help hundreds of children get active together. Staff and trustees, Ian included, will also run the half marathon to raise money for the Foundation’s community projects.
For Peter, the club’s support already means more than most of us could imagine.
“It’s the friendship. Regardless of if you come down on a matchday, or any other day, the club is just so friendly. You meet and chat with the players and they’re just so supportive. I don’t boast or talk much about my problem, but they’re always there for you. I don’t mean to be dropping names, but Jordy Reid, I saw him a couple of months ago, and he asked, ‘How’re you keeping? How is the cancer going? I haven’t seen you in god knows how long.’ But that’s what it’s like. It’s brilliant.”
Back our runners
Donations to the Foundation fund the local projects that make experiences like Peter’s possible. By supporting our runners, you can help give more people a place where they feel welcome, people to turn to and something to look forward to.
Support the team on the Ealing Trailfinders Foundation JustGiving page
