A YORK man, who works as a manager at a popular running store in the city, has run 300km in 30 days to raise money for a charity.

Andy Fawcett is a keen runner and also manager of the specialist running shop, Up & Running, in Colliergate. Thanks to Andy’s dedication throughout April of hitting the streets of York to complete 10k every day, he has raised over £200 for Heart Research UK.

The money will go towards funding vital research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

To complete his final run, Andy was joined by Up & Running York’s Social Run Group, a free weekly running group which Andy leads to encourage others to get active and enjoy running. The group cheered Andy on as they completed the final 10k together on Sunday.

Speaking on his challenge, Andy said: “I’m passionate about running so the 300k challenge seemed like the ideal way for me to raise awareness and money for such a great cause.

"It’s definitely been a mixed bag of weather throughout April so the challenge gave me something to focus on and made me get out there, whatever the weather.

“I’m delighted with the amount raised and the support I’ve received which will all benefit the fantastic work that Heart Research UK does.”

The Just Giving page remains open, so if you'd like to make a donation and support Andy and the team, visit: bit.ly/3HAhY7R

A spokesperson for Up & Running said the firm is the UK’s largest independent running store specialising in running shoes, technical kit and running accessories for men, women and juniors. Founded in 1992 by Gillian and Dennis Macfarlane with a store in Harrogate, there are now 29 stores across the UK.

It remains a family business with Gill and Dennis at the helm of operations. The business started from a love of running, with the aim to serve the local running communities with the latest products and the "best customer service possible". This ethos still stands and applies equally to the online arm of the business.

In the last 10 years, Heart Research UK has funded over £10.2m in medical research in hospitals and universities across the UK, as well as £2.2m on innovative community-based lifestyle projects to improve the heart health of the nation.

A spokesperson said: "The charity aims to inspire and invest in pioneering medical research, ground-breaking training and education, and in communities to improve their heart health for themselves.

"For over 50 years they have driven advancements in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease to benefit patients as soon as possible."

Further details on the charity can be found on its website.