Louise puts her best foot
forward in Memory if Granddad
Photographs of Louise have been taken by Valerie Hamill
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A Wallasey woman who lost her beloved
granddad to kidney disease is running a charity race and raising money to fight
the condition. Louise Sheehan is assistant manager of Greggs in Pyramids
Shopping Centre, Birkenhead, and only started running last year, inspired by her
fitness fanatic husband Chris. Now the 29 year old is taking on a 5k challenge
in aid of Kidney Research in memory of her granddad Harold May who passed away
when she was young.
Louise, who lives with Chris in Wallasey, said:- "I've been inspired to
raise money for this charity as I always remember how ill my granddad was when I
was a kid. Whenever we visited him we had to be careful as he was always wired
up to dialysis machines. It was hard because when you see your granddad you want
to run and hug him but we couldn't. He was constantly in and out of the Royal in
Liverpool and when we saw him at home he had to have all these special drinks
and special meals. I lost my nan when I was seven, then both my dad's parents
and then my granddad when I was nine so it was a really tough time for us as a
family. It was particularly hard for my mum as she is an only child."
Louise, who has worked in the Birkenhead Pyramids' store for 7
years, has been married to Chris, also aged 29, for 3 years although the couple
have been together since they met as 14 year olds at Wallasey's Oldershaw
School.
Chris is a keen runner, clocking up regular 10k or half marathon runs for Claire
House and encouraged his wife to take up the sport too. She said:- "I
decided I wanted to get fit so I started running with him and we go for jogs
around Central Park or down on the prom. Chris raises a lot of money for charity
so I thought I would too and I did my first 5k in March at Port Sunlight. It
went okay and I managed a personal best time of 39 minutes so I'm hoping to beat
that this time and do it in half an hour."
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Louise will be joining fellow fundraisers on the start line for
the Hillsborough 5k run held at Stanley Park on April 19, and Chris will run
alongside his wife for the event. She said:- "I have said that he can
leave me behind if he wants but he's very good and he'll stay with me; although
he's an Everton fan so he'll be wearing a blue T-shirt and I'll have a red one!"
Commercial Director for Pyramids Shopping Centre, Derek Millar, said:- "I
wish Louise every success in her next running event and am sure the staff and
customers of Greggs will get behind her and help her raise funds for this very
important cause."
The race is a new and accessible event in memory of the 96 Liverpool football
fans lost in the Hillsborough tragedy and will raise funds for Everton in the
Community and the LFC Foundation as well as whatever causes the runners are
championing themselves.
The 5k event will take place at the end of the 96 mile Hillsborough to Anfield
run which has attracted hundreds of entrants and raised thousands of pounds over
recent years. To sponsor Louise pop into the Greggs store at Pyramids
Shopping Centre.
