Westfield runner, John Reynolds, will be taking on his biggest challenge yet to help raise funds and spread awareness with his ongoing work for local charity, Time is Precious. The Coleford-based charity has been going from strength to strength, with a number of large projects benefitting local families and their children who are having to spend time in hospitals in the area.

The teenage chill-out room at the RUH is nearing completion, with the sensory room at the hospital also now complete, alongside a recovery room for children who have had surgery.

In Yeovil, the charity has funded the complete refurbishment of the children’s area in the waiting room, with iPads and other activities. There is now a parents’ room on the special baby care unit, funded by Time is Precious, with mums and dads previously having to use the staff room. The Children’s Ward nurses’ station now has a play area thanks to the charity and of ten sensory trolleys bought through money raised, seven are in Bristol, with one also in the children’s A&E department.

Inspired by the story of Frome schoolboy, Daryl Allinson, who has been at the centre of a huge £110,000 fundraising campaign for a second bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy after NHS funding was twice refused, Time is Precious has raised £13,000 in a subsequent fundraising push. Thanks to the help of the local community, Daryl has begun the vital treatment he desperately needs to fight a form of leukaemia so rare, he is the only boy in Britain with the condition.

Alongside the Coleford Revival Group, the charity recently held an auction event which raised £3,883 under a new banner, ‘Rite 4 Life’. Local Tesco staff also helped add nearly £2,000 to Daryl’s total, with a trolley push and other events in stores in Midsomer Norton, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet and Wells. The £13,000 raised includes a £5,000

donation from CPM, £1,000 from Haywood Haulage, collections by the Mighty Minis and Coleford Co-op, Amey Rowe and the Dweamah Dance group’s sponsored dance-off, an Asda and Sainsbury’s football match, Sainsbury’s mud versus make-up, staff cake sale and bucket collection and a sponsored 25-mile walk by Michelle Elkins and Kayleigh Brock, and all of the children, parents and organisers of the fancy dress walk which took place recently. A real community effort!

John Reynolds’ massive task ahead for Time is Precious will see him running a record 328 miles over four days, beginning at Land’s End on Wednesday this week and finishing on Sunday, 14th August at the Wessex Truck Show in Yeovil. Dubbed the ‘Big One’, John’s challenge will see him average 82 miles per day with no sleep for 36 hours and only fifteen minute power naps. He will be joined for the final hour by Time is Precious patron and actor, Will Thorp, to help him get over the finish line.

Neil Halford, from Time is Precious, said: “We are extremely grateful to John for taking on his biggest challenge yet to raise funds and awareness for the charity.

“His challenges keep getting bigger and bigger and the mileage just goes up and up! This has got to be the hardest one for him. People will read about John and this run, but will truly underestimate the scale and effort that is required – it is by no means an easy feat, even for him!”

Readers can follow John’s progress as he will be posting daily updates via the Time is Precious Facebook page.

Speaking to The Journal this week, John said: “I’m very nervous about this one, despite having done lengthy challenges before. I’ve done 72 miles on continuous days, but not 82 – it’s a massive jump and I know how much it is going to hurt!

“I catch the train to Penzance on Tuesday evening, eat the biggest meal I can find and start in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“I’ve been planning this for six months, trying to make the schedule practical – but it is tight in terms of timing. There are also a lot of hills – Cornwall, Dartmoor, Blackdown Hills and the Mendip Hills – but the different terrain is essential, you would seize up otherwise. Although I’ll be running 36 hours straight through with no sleep at all, the whole thing is psychological – if you can get the first day on track, then that is half the battle, but if you get behind, it immediately puts you in the wrong frame of mind.”

In fact, John will only be power-napping for fifteen minutes at a time and estimates he will only have 2.5 hours’ sleep over four days. He will be running completely solo this time, with no support crew to navigate and will be carrying 15lbs of backpack with all of his kit.

“I’m really looking forward to Will Thorp joining me at the end of the run and some of the children from my weekly running club will be joining me on the journey to the main ring at the show. The youngest is seven-years-old, so I’m hoping they will be inspired by the atmosphere and be part of something big in future. At every ten miles, I need to hit a checkpoint and if it is hot during the day, I’ll just have to go a bit harder through the night.

“When it’s tough, I’ll be thinking about all of the children that Time is Precious help and the reasons why I’m doing this.”

True to form, after John finishes on Sunday, he will be flying out to Iceland the following week to complete a marathon with fellow club runners, after which he will take a brief rest. He has recently started a local running club which is well subscribed and meets throughout the week, inspiring others in the area to get active. Chair of Westfield Parish Council, Geoff Fuller, said: “We are very proud of John. This is his biggest challenge to date and Westfield supports him in his efforts. We wish him all the very best.”