Bognor window cleaner’s midnight marathon raises over £1,600 for homelessness charity

Starting from the Stonepillow hostel in Ellasdale Road at midnight on Sunday (March 14), Rob Cooper completed three 8.8-mile circuits around the town, finishing back at the hostel at 4.10am in a time of four hours, ten minutes and 50 seconds.

The 47-year-old was joined on the run by his wife Charlotte on her bicycle, who provided much needed support, food and drinks.

Rob said: “This was my third marathon. I’ve done Brighton twice, but even before lockdown I liked the idea of the challenge of doing one on my own, to see what difference the crowds make at a big organised event.

“Believe me they make a huge difference – this was the hardest by far but also the most satisfying.

“Luckily having Charlotte with me really made it. We were a team and I couldn’t have done it in that time without her.”

Rob, who lives in Kenilworth Road, decided to run the marathon to raise awareness of how hard it can be being homeless, and wanted to start running at midnight at the coldest time of the year.

He said: “Conditions were good on the night. The only real problem we had was the promenade section at Felpham where the stones had been washed up by the high winds, making it difficult for me and forcing Charlotte to dismount the bike and run it too.

“We did however have our very own team at the hostel waving us off and seeing us back with glow sticks, which really made our night!”

Sarah Dakin, from Stonepillow, said: ”We are truly grateful to Rob for deciding to support Stonepillow, not to mention the endless hours of hard work and dedication that went into the training.

“Starting the year in another lockdown has been a challenging time for so many people, and Stonepillow has been absolutely committed to ensuring we continue to provide our services to those who are homeless, vulnerably housed and rough sleeping.

“We have been overwhelmed by the innovative fundraising campaigns that have been generated by the community and local businesses.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/robert-cooper29

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