A fundraiser with a special connection to Acorns Children’s Hospice embarked on a mammoth half marathon challenge and marked his journey with an ‘ink’-credible tribute.
30 year old Luke Corbet ran the SimplyHealth Great Birmingham Run in October 2018 to give back to Acorns and say thanks for the vital care and support he received before being given a life-saving transplant in 1997.
Kind-hearted Luke set a target of £1,000 towards Acorns work caring for children and families and pledged to have the charity’s logo and the Marathon route map tattooed on his arm if he reached the amount.
Thanks to the generosity of friends, family and strangers touched by his story, Luke smashed the four-figure sum and is now sporting a lasting reminder of his efforts.
Luke, who was born with chronic renal failure, said: “It’s been quite an emotional journey for me as this tattoo marks what has been an amazing few months. I started out as a complete novice to running. Now I’ve completed a half marathon and have raised more than £1,700 for a charity that saved my life.
“Without Acorns respite care I wouldn’t be where I am today, they gave me the spark to continue living during one of the most difficult times of my life. Money can’t repay Acorns for what they did for me but I hope the amount I’ve raised will make a difference.”
Call centre worker Luke joined the rest of Team Acorns for Birmingham’s biggest half marathon event on 14 October. Despite the rain, the whole team were in good spirits and enjoyed a warm welcome at the Acorns tent in the charity village.
A member of the Acorns events team said: “Luke’s tattoo tribute is definitely one of the boldest we’ve seen! He’s absolutely smashed his fundraising target and we can’t thank him enough for his support. We rely on fundraisers like Luke to help us raise the nearly £10 million we need each year to run our services.
“What Luke has achieved is truly amazing, we hope others are inspired by his story to lace up their running shoes and join Team Acorns!”.
Luke will be taking part in the Great Birmingham Run again on 13th October 2019 – you can join him as part of Team Acorns!
We have FREE places available in this year’s Great Birmingham Run (13 October 2019). Is this your year to do something you never dreamed possible?
