A member of the parish of Bardsey with East Keswick has undertaken a twenty-four hour endurance run to raise money for nappies and baby supplies, which are provided by St Aiden’s Foodshare.
Dr Claire Dickson (pictured), who regularly volunteers at the foodbank in Leeds, has so far raised over £1000 after completing the Endure24 challenge, an endurance race involving running 5 mile loops for an entire day.
St Aidan’s Foodshare provides food bags for those in need every Saturday for the community of Harehills. The numbers of people seeking help has grown exponentially since the Covid pandemic, from 60 to a peak of over 600.
Part of the work at St Aiden’s is to also provide nappies and baby supplies for families most in need, helping to give babies and young children a healthy start to life. The church is about to run out of funding for this project, which is why Claire decided to complete the fundraising challenge. 
“Well it was certainly epic, brutal and relentless,” said Claire.
“Despite the torrential rain and thunderstorm that shut the course for 3 hours, Endure24 was a fantastic event and it tests you to the limit.
“What kept me going was the huge generosity of the local community, responding to the call for help. Covid has exacerbated the inequalities in our society and St Aidan’s foodshare has valiantly tried to close that gap and reach those most in need.
“All the money raised will help provide nappies and other baby supplies for families who have found themselves in hard times. Early years are so important in a child’s development and this project aims to give these children the best start in life.”
The Revd Angela Hannafin, vicar of Bardsey Parish, said, “both the church and village communities in Bardsey and East Keswick are united in supporting Claire’s achievement.
“We are so pleased she completed the Endurance run and raised double her target amount to buy nappies for St Aidan’s FoodShare. It’s great when we can work together like this.”
If you wish to sponsor Claire and help support the work of St Aiden’s Foodshare, go to her JustGiving page.