Press release -
Family of ten take on the Great South Run in memory of Dad and Grandad
13th July 2015
Family of ten take on the Great South Run in memory of Dad and Grandad
Ten members of the same family from Gosport, will be taking part in the Great South Run in October in memory of their Dad and Grandad Frank Marsden, who passed away in April after suffering four strokes.At his wake the family decided it would be a nice idea to run the Great South Run in his memory and on behalf of the Stroke Association.
The family group made up of sons, daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren has been bought together by Frank’s daughter Pat Francis “Before his stroke Dad was so active and made a huge contribution to the community. After he passed away we wanted to do something to make him proud.As we have a number of runners in the family we decided to come together and do the Great South Run. We will not be ruling out Dad's sister who is 81 this year as she used to run marathons with Dad. If there is anyway she can run, believe me she’ll be there.”
Frank Marsden was born and bred in Gosport. He was the Chairman of the Gosport and Fareham Football League and a football referee until he was 73. In recognition of his services to football he was awarded the Gosport Citizen of the Year Award in 1996. He ran many marathons and could be seen most Sunday mornings jogging out at Stokes Bay.
Frank had a stroke in 2005, which left him unable to communicate fluently and he lost contact with a lot of his friends. He subsequently had a further 3 strokes each one damaging his speech. Pat adds “The family got very good at charades. Dad was 89 when he passed away in April, after living 10 years with the effects of a stroke.”
The family have had great support in the community; Monica’s (Frank’s granddaughter) boyfriend Dale works for The Innovation Group and they will be organising a fundraising event in aid of the Stroke Association, in memory of Dad for the family in August.
The Stroke Association still has a number of places for the Great South Run if you would like to join Pat and her family. The money raised through sponsorship will help the charity ensure that stroke survivors and their families can continue to receive help in the future. If you would like to run please visit www.stroke.org.uk/events/sporting-fundraising/morrisons-great-south-run-2015
Pat and her team have set up a fundraising page to raise money in memory of Frank you can sponsor them by visiting Www.justgiving.com/frank-marsden.
Ends
For further information please contact Cheryl Randeria on 07810 697957.
Photo caption:Inspiration for the family team.This is Frank running the Gosport Half Marathon with his sister Winnie.
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A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. There are around 152,000 strokes in the UK every year and it is the leading cause of severe adult disability. There are over 1.2 million people in the UK living with the effects of stroke.
Stroke Association is a charity. We believe in life after stroke and together we can conquer stroke. We work directly with stroke survivors and their families and carers, with health and social care professionals and with scientists and researchers. We campaign to improve stroke care and support people to make the best recovery they can. We fund research to develop new treatments and ways of preventing stroke. The Stroke Helpline (0303 303 3100) provides information and support on stroke. More information can be found at www.stroke.org.uk
