Countryside Alliance News Release
The Alliance’s 2009 Flora London Marathon Team: Running for Repeal
Release: 7th April 2009
This year’s seven-strong Flora London Marathon team will tackle the 26-mile course on Sunday 26th April hoping to top last year’s fundraising total of £40,000 to further the Alliance’s vital campaigning work in 2009.
The Marathon team consists of:
- Charles Carter is joint master of the West Norfolk Fox Hounds. He was brought up on Salisbury Plain and had been involved in hunting for most of his life. Whilst at school and the Royal Agricultural College Charles was master of the Stowe and the RAC beagles. This will be his first marathon.
- Terri Brennan is a long standing supporter of the Alliance’s North American Chapter and she lives in Millbrook, New York. Terri is passionate about hunting and has previously hunted in England with the Quorn and Fernie. She is an accomplished marathon runner, and has completed the New York Marathon three times.
- Gareth Mullard-Wilson is based in Shropshire where he runs his own heating and plumbing business. He is currently Joint Master and Huntsmen of the Shropshire Beagles. As well as running the London Marathon Gareth is also in training for the Marathon Des Sables in Morocco, a six day 151 mile endurance race which takes place in 2011.
- Oliver Blackwell is an award winning inventor from Exmoor, some of his inventions include the world’s first drumless washing machine. Oliver is a successful athlete having won the Devizes to Westminster 125 mile canoe race. When time permits, Oliver follows the Devon and Somerset Stag Hounds and the Dulverton Farmers either on foot or on horse back.
- Stuart Mitchell is a passionate countryman living in London. He is a keen shot and enjoys nothing more than helping out at his local shoot with his non-retrieving Border terrier ‘Bramble’. Stuart is hoping his Saturday rugby and cycle to work will help him with his marathon build up.
- American Hilary Ponti lives in Gloucestershire with her Italian husband and four children. She and her family were introduced to hunting five years ago and have since become regulars with the Cotswold and the Heythrop Hunts. Hilary stresses that this will be her first and last marathon!
- Matthew Board lives with his wife and two sons in Somerset, he is a countryside enthusiast. He works at a local wildlife park looking after and assortment of animals from elephants to flamingos. He has followed the Culmstock Minkhounds for 20 seasons, he has carried the whip for seven and was huntsman for thirteen; something he is very proud of. This will be Matthew’s first marathon and he is under no illusion about the task in hand.
The Alliance’s Chairman of Events, Rosie Vestey, commented: “These are difficult times for all of us, but none more so than for hunting and indeed the Countryside Alliance, whose job it is to work tirelessly, and hopefully successfully, towards our ultimate goal of achieving the repeal of this disastrous and damaging Hunting Act. I ask you to dig deep into your pockets to support these brave runners and please help us to win this most important battle - the future of hunting depends on it.
For further information or to sponsor the team, please contact Jessica Garton on 01672 519470 or visit countryside-alliance.org.uk