Dad Slogs Through 8 1/2 Miles of Mud for CLAPA Branch
Dan Stone went the extra mile in supporting CLAPA when he signed up for a ‘lung-busting, trainer-ruining, hill-climbing, multi-terrain challenge’ called the Sodbury Slog! Held in the biting cold of mid-November, this 8 ½ mile cross country run had Dan getting covered top-to-toe in mud and grime in a brutal race to the finish line, which he reached in a very respectable 2 hours 4 minutes.
His struggles through the mud were well-rewarded, as he raised a fantastic £174.38!
Dan’s daughter Savannah was born last year with a cleft lip, and he proudly wore a photo of her as a baby on the back of his t shirt. Savannah was there to cheer him on along with Dan’s other children and his wife Christina. Dan was hoping that Christina would join him in the Slog next year, but after seeing the photos we won’t blame her if she changes her mind!
When asked why he chose to run for CLAPA, Dan said: “The main reason I entered the Sodbury Slog this year was to raise money for CLAPA, they have supported us and given us all the advice we needed since finding out that our daughter Savannah was going to be born with a cleft.
“Savannah was born on Oct 17th 2011 and all the staff members have been so supportive over the past year and without them I don’t think we would have coped with all the challenges that laid ahead, being invited to coffee mornings and seeing other children in different stages of development was very encouraging and made us feel a lot more positive about Savannah and her cleft lip and what the future will hold.”
Little Savannah recently had her lip repair operation, and is recovering very well.
Some fundraisers choose to raise money for local branches of CLAPA, and Dan asked that all the money he raised be donated to the very active Bristol and South West Branch to thank them for all the local support he received.
Natalie Rigg, Branch Chair, had this to say: “Thank you so much Dan for ‘slogging it out’ for CLAPA! The Bristol and South West Branch really appreciate your efforts in this gruelling challenge and raising so much money for the benefit of children born with clefts in our region.”
A huge thank you from all of us here at CLAPA goes to Dan and the friends and family that supported him every step of the way.
