UM Group’s Simon Markham and Dr Nigel Jones have raised thousands of pounds for two charities after competing in this year’s London Marathon.

The pair took part in April’s prestigious event with Simon registering a personal best time of 3 hours 44 minutes and Nigel coming across the line in 4 hours 5 minutes despite having his training routine restricted in the final few weeks due to a hip injury.

Simon was raising money for Starlight Children’s Foundation, which enables children and families to find hope through the power of play after a child is diagnosed with a serious illness.

Nigel’s chosen cause, Meningitis Now, was particularly personal. Twenty-five years ago, his 18-year-old cousin Kathryn Jones died from meningitis, while two years ago his brother-in-law Sauder Steukers also died after contracting the disease.

Nigel, who ran with his sister Donna, said: “We were delighted to run on behalf of Meningitis Now. Over the years, my family has fundraised to raise awareness of meningitis and to help those families affected by it. I want to thank everyone who donated and our holding company W&R Barnett for its generous match funding.”

Simon revealed that he was spurred on to beat 3 hours 45 minutes after Nigel mentioned that he could qualify for a ‘Good for Age’ entry for 2024’s race if he bettered that time.

Simon, UM Group’s Head of Molasses (GB), said: “Nigel wrongly assumed that I was over 60 – I don’t hit that milestone until this month – and suggested I might be able to apply for a GFA place!

“But it gave me an extra incentive and using the race wristband I was able to track my time at each mile. By 23 miles I knew the time was there to be done and was delighted to get over the line with 26 seconds to spare.

“It was a really good day. I ran most of the way with a fellow runner from my club Horsham Joggers and there were lots of people from Starlight as well as family and friends cheering me on.”

It was Simon’s second London Marathon having only taken up running just over a year ago and this year’s time considerably bettered his first attempt of 4 hours and 35 minutes.

Nigel, UM Group’s Sustainability, Quality & Technical Manager, added: “I would have loved to have run a quicker time having previously run 3 hours 35 minutes in 2019 when I was a lot fitter, but it is a special day and lovely to have your family there to help keep you going.”

As ever during the London Marathon, there were plenty of amusing, colourful and moving moments that also helped to keep Simon and Nigel going.

In Simon’s case, it was spotting another runner from his club who was acting as a guide for one of the blind runners taking part.

For Nigel, it was “seeing lots of runners in costumes including dinosaurs and even boats. When you’re passed by someone dressed as a boat you know you are struggling!”

Nigel and Donna raised £4835 and Simon raised £3148 with an additional £2,000 per cause being donated by W&R Barnett.

For over 30 years, Starlight has been supporting families following a child’s diagnosis with a serious illness and each year reaches 1.2 million children in almost 500 hospitals across the UK. For more information about Starlight, visit www.starlight.org.uk

Meningitis Now also has a history dating back over 30 years. The charity is the first meningitis patient group in the world, founders of the meningitis movement and the only charity dedicated to fighting the disease in the UK. The charity has invested over £12million in early-stage research that has played a critical role in the introduction of life-saving vaccines. For more information about Meningitis Now visit www.meningitisnow.org