A devoted dad and fundraiser will be getting his steps in to raise up to £1,000 for our Well Wishers charity.
Kyle Davies, 24, is running the Stafford Half Marathon on 20 March for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s charity with best friend Jack Cadman, 25.
Becoming a father to daughter Sienna Davies two years ago has given the Willenhall dad a different perspective on life and Kyle, a sales consultant for an architectural ironmongery firm, wants to give something back.
Kyle, along with his family and friends, donated £300 worth of toys for children spending Christmas at Walsall Manor Hospital and now he hopes to raise around £100 from his running efforts, plus up to £700 from a football match he is organising in May.
“I’ve done a lot of growing up over the last couple of years and becoming a parent has made me look at things differently,” said Kyle.
“Some kids have nothing, and if it was your own family in that situation, you wouldn’t like that, so I thought it would be a good idea to do something for them.”
But as a first-timer at the challenging 13.1-mile distance, training hasn’t been easy, as Kyle admits.
“I started training six weeks ago and my mum and step dad, who have both ran a few marathons, said ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’” added Kyle, who is an avid Wolves supporter and season ticket holder.
“I’d never run before and used to do weight training three or four times a week with the occasional game of football, so I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew!
“When I started, I thought to be able to run it in two hours would be realistic but now I’ll just be happy to finish it.”
Having Jack as a training partner has helped Kyle in his quest to get fit enough for the big day. The pair met as young footballers for Ashmore Park Rangers under-10s, attended Pool Hayes Academy together and now work for the same company, DLine in Erdington, where Jack is a contracts co-ordinator.
“I’m up to nine miles now and having Jack has helped me as we’re about the same pace,” added Kyle. “We talk to motivate each other when we train and we’re going to stay together during the race to spur each other on, so hopefully we’ll be OK.”
As an additional fundraiser, Kyle has organised a football match with a team he is putting together taking on a Well Wishers FC team on 28 May at Bar 442 in Willenhall.
Kyle is hoping to have 36 players across two teams paying £10 each, with admission £5 for spectators.
“Hopefully we can get 100 people to come down and cheer us on,” he said.
Well Wishers Fundraising and Engagement Manager Georgie Westley said: “We’re delighted that Kyle has chosen to raise money for us and it will be put to excellent use.
“We’re very thankful for his ongoing support and wish him all the best for his run and look forward to helping him prepare for the charity football match!”
To donate to Kyle’s fundraiser, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kyle-davies11