Fund Raising

In March 1988 Reg planned another Welsh run as a tribute to the memory of his wife Mair, who had died in 1981 as the result of a stroke. The run was to be a 100 mile relay with his son Vic, from Wolverhampton to North Wales, during which they hoped to raise £5,000 in sponsorship for the Chest, Heart, and Stroke Association. After being given a mayoral send off in Wolverhampton, they successfully completed the run during which Reg ran over 40 miles. At Llanfair Talhaearn, the Davies family's ancestral home village in Denbighshire, they were greeted by the mayor of Colwyn Bay, Councillor John Jones, representatives of the charity, and members of the Wolverhampton Stroke Club.

Reg planned to repeat his fund raising triumph in July of that year with a run from Birmingham to London. Unfortunately the plan had to be changed because Reg suffered a ham-string injury in June and so Vic ran the whole way, with Reg joining him in sections along the route.

Reg and Vic on their Birmingham to London run.

The run took 14 hours and was spread out over a week, so that they could call at the pubs during opening hours.

They were sponsored by Vic's employer NCR. The run ended at the Chest, Heart, and Stroke Association’s headquarters in Tavistock Square where they were greeted by Camden Mayor, Bill Budd and presented him with a message from the mayor of Birmingham.

In 1989 Reg and Vic continued to run together in many events throughout the country, including the “Four Villages” half marathon at Helsby, Cheshire held in January, and the London Marathon in April
during which Reg received his most prized medal, having achieved first place in the over 80 category.

Their big event for the year was another fund raising event for the Chest, Heart, and Stroke Association consisting of a 530 mile relay from Dundee to London, organised by Vic Davies. Reg and Vic were accompanied by over 100 runners, all of whom were NCR employees and stakeholders.

Reg and Vic after their half marathon at Helsby.

The run began at the head office of Vic’s employer, National Cash Register Limited, during which a hollow baton containing a message of greeting from the Lord Provost of Dundee to the Lord Mayor of London was passed hand to hand at 5 mile intervals by the chain of runners.

At one point it looked as though the baton was lost after a runner accidentally dropped it over the edge of the Forth Road Bridge. Luckily it lodged in a maintenance walkway below and so was soon recovered!

In spite of that and several other mishaps on route, they arrived at their destination just 5 minutes and 43 seconds later than planned. An incredible achievement.

The event took place between 1^st and 5^th July and the runners stopped off at Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Lauder, Gateshead, Durham, Darlington, Leeds, Salford, Bucklow Hill, Birmingham, and Daventry, on route to London.

On this epic run, as on many others, Reg and Vic were supported by Dave Brackpool, Vic's long-time friend and workmate. Dave not only drove their support vehicle and handled the photography, but also played a vital role as a team runner.