Makeba Roach

Occupation: Doctor
Event: November 10k Run
Date: November 2011

Makeba Roach volunteers at Project:London, and had decided to help DOW UK by running the Greenwich 10K run in November 2011.  Makeba had never taken part in an organised run before and really wanted to raise funds for our work:

"I volunteer at Project: London and can see first hand how many people in London benefit from the work done by the charity. As part of the training I joined a running club to support my training. It was the best move I could have made.

When I started running my every instinct was to stop - but I soon learned to push past that stage and the results were worth every step- I lost 10kg over the past year"

Makeba raised £285 for Doctors of the World!

Kate Townsend

Occupation: General Practitioner
Event: London Royal Parks Half Marathon
Date:October 2011

The Royal Parks Marathon was Kate's first race and a motivation to start exercising after 30 odd years.

"I feel an affinity to Doctors of the World being a doctor and am impressed with the work done with vulnerable people on an international level and that offers long term support.

I started running a year before the race and in the New Year I registered for the Royal Parks Half Marathon run and this really kept me committed to running.  I followed the training advice from the Royal Parks website. Running gave me thinking space.  I trained outside for my runs and managed to run in the early mornings."

Since starting her running Kate has kept to a regular training schedule and managed 7 mile runs at the weekend. She has even signed up for the Cambridge Half Marathon in March 2012 and has persuaded another colleague to join her.

Well done Kate for raising over £400.

   
Liam Crosby 

Occupation: Research Assistant at the London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine and volunteer at Doctors of the World UK's Project:London
Event: London Royal Parks Half Marathon
Date: October 2011

Liam had never taken part in organised runs before but has run regularly for the last 4 years and really wanted to raise funds for our work.

"I volunteer at Project:London, in Bethnal Green. The work that goes on there is amazing and so important to vulnerable people who are unable to access NHS care, but they always need more money, be it for refunding a homeless person's bus-fare or buying new medical equipment.

"I'm interested in human rights and especially access to healthcare, the Royal Parks Half Marathon was tough going at the 9 mile mark but the fact I was running for a great cause really helped me to keep going."

Congratulations to Liam who raised £850 for Doctors of the World UK.

Julian Scott

Occupation: Music student at St. Anne's College, Oxford
Event: Virgin London Triathlon
Date: July 2011

Julian participated in the July 2011 Virgin Active London Triathlon at the Excel Centre. It was Julian's first triathlon; he fancied the personal challenge and saw it as an incentive to keep really fit:

"I learnt about the charity by browsing the internet. I signed up to do the triathlon and then picked a charity. I chose to raise funds for Doctor of the World because the breadth of work they do overseas, I could really see where the money I raise would be going and it could really make a difference with the immediate, practical benefit that it would have.

No-one should suffer from a lack of basic healthcare in a world where technology is so easily capable of providing that healthcare. The most fun part of the triathlon for me was the cycling. For me the running was the toughest. I have fairly short legs!" 

Thanks to Julian we raised over £400.

Emma Ladds - a doctor in the making

Occupation: Medical Student
Event: 2011 Virgin London Marathon
Date: 17 April 2011

Emma ran the 2011 Virgin London Marathon with Doctors of the World UK.

"I am a 4th year medical student very interested in Global Health, so know a lot about Doctors of the World (DOW) and their work. I started running four years ago to continue doing sport without the requirements of regular team practices - my course is very intense! I initially started at home in north Devon, running along the beaches and cliffs, but I now run trails around Oxford. I prefer cross-country and trail running to road-running. My training is ad-hoc. I like long distances and will run for a couple of hours at the weekend to get out of Oxford properly into real countryside. I also swim, love surfing and play squash.

I'm really interested in supporting DOW UK as an organisation because of the work I've done as a med student in India. I'd also love to work for them in the future when I'm qualified".

Visit Emma's Doctors of the World UK Just Giving site to find out how much she has raised.

Listen to Emma Ladds on BBC Radio Oxford.