72-year-old runs last marathon for Methodist charity

|PIC1|A 72-year-old churchgoer has funds for a project in Malawi on Sunday by running his tenth London Marathon.

Pensioner Jim Parrish ran the whole 26.5 miles of the London Mmarathon in an impressive five hours and six minutes. It was, he says, his twelfth and final marathon - although he also told his wife that last year's would be the final time.

Jim, who attends Baildon Methodist Church, said: "I wanted to finish my marathon career on a nice round number, and 12 sounded good! This was definitely the last one – I think!"

His sponsorship donations from the run will go to the Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) to support a partner organisation in Malawi that trains people with HIV and Aids in sustainable agriculture and jam and soap making so that they can earn a living. The project also equips people to deal with the stigma and discrimination they can face because of their HIV/Aids status.

Jim said: "My wife and I lived in various countries in Africa for nearly 30 years, and in Malawi for six of them. As it got harder for me to run round, I thought 'at least MRDF will gain something'!"

Audrey Skervin, MRDF Supporter Relations Officer, met Jim after the race. She said: "We are delighted that Jim decided to run for MRDF again – this is his fourth London Marathon for us. He is our marathon hero!

"Last year, he raised over £1,300 for another MRDF project in Malawi and helped unemployed young people to build their business skills and vulnerable families to improve their crop supplies.

"Jim’s efforts this year will enable even more lives to be changed."