Appledore Fireman Aims to Beat Brother's Time in London Marathon

Nick Williams a retained firefighter for the past seven years at Appledore Fire Station will be running in this year’s London Marathon for the Fire Fighters Charity. The marathon takes place on Sunday, April 17, over the traditional distance of 42.195 km (26 miles and 385 yards) and is one of the biggest running events in the world.

Nick said: “I've been lucky over the years to compete in several sports: swimming, triathlon, three types of motorcycle racing and pilot gig rowing (some say I still have not found a sport I'm good at). I’ve managing to avoid all but a few injuries so I thought it would be a good idea to help others less fortunate.

“I’m now well into the 18 week training program and I’m beginning to wish I had the bright idea when I was 27 not 47! So far my training is going well; yesterday I ran 12 miles and still had enough energy to climb the stairs to the shower.

“My goal is to beat my younger brother's time of four hours and also raise a lot of money for the charity which is where you all come in, please help me support the Fire Fighters Charity and donate on line at www.justgiving.com/nicholas-williams.”

Every year, thousands of firefighters are injured whilst protecting the public. Every 30 seconds in the UK, firefighters are called to an incident, putting their lives on the line, and often sustaining physical injuries whilst carrying out their duties. The Fire Fighters Charity is for all fire service personnel during their times of need, and assists thousands of individuals every year, by providing pioneering treatment and support services.

This modern, dynamic and award-winning charity has three UK centres, located in Cumbria, Devon and West Sussex, which offer varying combinations of therapy and recuperation services. Their pioneering Beneficiary Support Services also offer local and remote assistance to people in need nationwide - providing solutions to real life problems.

It costs over £9 million every year to keep the Charity running, and with no government funding, they are completely reliant upon donations from the general public and fire community.