A man who ran 900 miles over 145 days as a ‘warm-up’ fundraising journey for a charity in memory of his late wife now has his sights set on spreading the word of its aims.
Richard Williman, 56, from Pocklington, has already raised more than £6,700 for the Ruth Strauss Foundation and will now continue his fundraising journey, going from Durham to the centre of London via 18 county cricket grounds over the same 900 mile distance, starting next year in mid-June and finishing in August.
The semi-retired former headteacher wants to raise the profile of the organisation whose aims include the provision of emotional support for families to prepare for the death of a parent, and raising awareness of pre-bereavement help while developing specialist services for families.
Recommended reading:
East Yorkshire man's 145 day fundraising journey in memory of his late wife
Richard’s late wife Erika was diagnosed with incurable stage four bowel cancer in November 2020, and sadly passed away aged 51 in July 2022.
He saw the positive impact the preparation for bereavement had on their children Seb and Alex.
Throughout the summer, Richard, in consultation with his employer, The Education Alliance Multi-Academy Trust, has worked with the Ruth Strauss Foundation to train over 120 teachers, educators and pastoral staff across 18 Trust schools and the East Riding.
Richard said: “A really important part of that pre-bereavement support work is about ‘What can we do to keep people in a good place with the resources that we have got? - and that joined up partnership - which is so important.
“The Trust have a ‘Be Well’ programme which covers a breadth of mental health and well-being, so we’re asking ‘How do you build the base of that pyramid of support across our schools, and how do you engage with external agencies and the third sector to add to the early intervention support we offer?
“Erika gifted our family and myself that early intervention when her cancer was discovered.
“I want to share that gift with others and how I can facilitate that.”
'His personal journey, marked by loss and remarkable resilience, truly embodies the spirit of what we aim to achieve – supporting families facing the death of a parent'
Jonny Uttley, CEO of The Education Alliance Multi-Academy Trust, said: “I think first of all everybody here is incredibly proud of Rich for his fundraising effort but especially that the work has the potential to be transformative for lots of young people and families in the area.
“Schools often find it difficult to get it absolutely right but particularly so in terms of pre-bereavement needs.
“The training that Rich is supplying is really significant and something that we want to help both locally and nationally.”
“His personal journey, marked by loss and remarkable resilience, truly embodies the spirit of what we aim to achieve – supporting families facing the death of a parent.
“Richard’s support for the pilot of our school programme goes beyond just fundraising – he has been an invaluable advocate, helping to shift the conversation around pre-bereavement support.
“Our new schools training programme aims to equip educators with the tools, understanding, and confidence they need to support children and young people as they navigate pre-bereavement, and to open up conversations about death and dying.
“We know from experience that early intervention, as Richard so poignantly describes, can make all the difference to families facing such a challenging time.
“We are also thankful for the support Richard and Jonny from The Education Alliance Multi-Academy Trust have given us.
“We look forward to seeing how this partnership can expand to support even more families in the region and, ultimately, across the country.
“As Richard prepares for his next big challenge, we’re excited to continue working alongside him to share our message and ensure that no family has to navigate pre-bereavement alone.”
Training over 145 consecutive days in and around the Wolds wearing the red of the charity saw Richard work his way through two pairs of running trainers on the way to raising over £6,700 so far.
Richard said: “Erika and I did the virtual London Marathon together in 2021 and it was hard work, but the distance will be good training for next summer’s big event.
“I’ve been getting support from the club, who’ve also all been out training in the red of the foundation.”
Richard has also entered the East Riding Cross Country series, and has 10km races lined up in Doncaster and York’s Gunpowder Plot 10km event.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here