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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National

Fitness club members raise thousands for domestic violence charity just by running in their gardens

A 32-strong team of women have joined others in using the coronavirus lockdown as an opportunity of raising thousands of pounds for charity.

The women in Reading pledged and completed running 420km (260 miles) between them in their gardens or local streets over the Easter weekend to help domestic violence victims in Berkshire.

The scheme was sparked by one member of the Reading-based community fitness group Gym & Tonic, Sarah Menhenitt, who said she was inspired by lockdown garden runs she'd seen online.

After posting the idea on the group's Facebook page, the cause recruited other members and their families.

Some members ran 5km or 10km distances, while one family ran and cycled a combined 32km between them.

They had aimed to raise £2,000 for Berkshire Women's Aid - which will cover the cost of four beds for three months in its refuge - but by Wednesday the total had reached £2,700.

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