A Richmond councillor is running in this weekend’s London Marathon in aid of a bereavement support charity.
Alexander Ehmann, a Liberal Democrat serving St Margaret’s and North Twickenham, is raising money for The Compassionate Friends.
Ehmann, who lost his brother to suicide, decided to fundraise for the charity after his mother pointed him to its work supporting grieving families.
He said: “I don’t want to use the expression taboo, but it’s a difficult subject to talk about.
“It’s the loss of a child, the loss of a brother, the loss of a close person within your family who many people would expect to live for decades longer.”
Ehmann explained that while The Compassionate Friends may be a smaller charity, the work that they do is incredibly important.
He said: “For the thankfully small niche of people it has to support, it does a fantastic job.”
Ehmann also said his Richmond borough council colleagues, many of whom are runners themselves, have been incredibly encouraging.
He added: “Both in financial and in support terms, they’ve been great colleagues and friends.
“I hope to see some of them out on the course.”
Image credit: Julian Mason via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0 licence
Having secured his place 11 weeks before the big event, Ehmann has forced himself into fitness in hopes of crossing the finish line.
Coincidentally, he was born on the 29th of March 1981, the same day the marathon was first run.
This will be the second marathon he has ever run, having taken part in Amsterdam’s marathon around a decade ago.
Featured image credit: Dan Huddleston via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 licence
