Raising awareness for Samaritans with a marathon litter pick

After opening in Sevenoaks just 18 months ago, Samaritans has already made its mark by positively impacting the community through the stellar efforts of its volunteers. One of those volunteers is 71 year old local Tom Briody, who took on the Samaritans annual Samarathon challenge – a 26.2 mile marathon in July. After recent foot surgery, pounding the pavements was out of the question for Tom, so instead he decided to cover the same distance with a litter picking challenge over the course of the month long campaign.

Taking 45 minutes per mile, Tom averaged a full bin bag of rubbish every two miles. From the White Hart Estate and beyond, to a section of the A225, he clocked up his distance by picking each road in both directions. No doubt the locals, bin men and council are thrilled with his efforts!

Not only has Tom raised awareness for this worthy charity by clearing the hedgerows and verges, his initiative is a reminder to us all to keep our beautiful surroundings as clean as possible, so we can continue to enjoy living in the Garden of England.

Sevenoaks Samaritans Branch Director, Kay Turner said ‘These are tough times right now and more people may find themselves struggling to cope. Tom’s litter Picking Samarathon is not only a fun way to help look after your own mental health and wellbeing but the funds raised will ensure Samaritans volunteers are there to support others in need of our help’.

If you would like to support Tom’s efforts, please use the link below: