Lesley Cook

Lesley is a truly inspirational figure in our community. She started running for charity at the age of 48 and has since then completed 3 marathons, half a dozen half marathons and numerous 5 and 10 mile runs. She has never run for her own glory but always uses the opportunities to raise money for local and national charities. She has raised in excess of twenty thousand pounds for various bodies including cancer research, Guide dogs for the blind, BUPA runs for Alzeimers, Race for LIfe and has run in events such as the London Marathon, the Great South Run and other prestige events. She has never come remotely close to winning anything (though did once inadvertently and only because she was the oldest woman in a race, win a trophy) but her participation is a source of tremendous excitement to her and to those who have watched her run. Her training partner for many years was her Great Dane which sadly she lost recently and I know she would regard this privilege as a wonderful tribute to Shadow and as a huge personal honour. She cleans the local church, champions local animal causes and does anything that needs doing that no one else wants to so. Truly she is an olympian - a champion among the community.