AN Evenwood teacher has more than tripled his fundraising target after running five half marathons in five days to raise money for a village defibrillator.
Paul Tucker gave up the first part of his half-term break to run 65 miles over five consecutive days. The Evenwood Primary School teacher set himself the challenge, which he hoped would raised £500 to buy a life-saving defibrillator for the school.
Having completed the challenge, Mr Tucker has raised about £1,600 with donations still to come in.
He said: “It was great. There was good community support and good community spirit on the last day. I felt really strong all the way. I never had to walk at any stage.”
The Evenwood Road Runner started the challenge in Shildon at the Hackworth parkrun which was followed by a ten-mile route.
On the final day, he was joined by about 30 children from the school and the running club, as well as a parents for the last stretch from Spring Gardens to Evenwood.
He said: “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. People have been so kind. The support was fantastic and it kept me going. Even a wave or a shout as you went past someone made a difference.”
The money will be used to buy a second heart-start machine for the village which will be installed on the school perimeter.
Mr Tucker said: “With the extra money we are going to train every child in first aid and also some of the parents. If we have anything left we are going to put it towards a running kit for school to link with the importance of fitness.”
Headteacher, Stacey Rand, said: “On behalf of Evenwood Primary, we would like to thank Mr Tucker for raising all this money for the school. You are a machine. Also, we would like to thank all the pupils, family members, Evenwood Road Runners and all of the community for supporting us and Mr Tucker to reach our goal.”
