Man runs three miles for 365 days to raise money for North Anston animal sanctuary

Andrew Cooke, aged 36, is running a minimum of three miles a day for a year, adding up to a huge 1,095 miles in 365 days after being inspired by a Youtuber, Hellah “HellahGood” Sidibe who has run every day for more than four years.

Andrew, who works in maintenance for student accommodation, is aiming to raise £1,000 for Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, in North Anston, which will go directly towards the costs of animal care and veterinary fees at the shelter.

His final 365th run will be on Sunday, November 7.

Andrew, from Bolsover, said the challenge has taken “quite a lot of willpower”, as he has run through illnesses, injuries, after full days at work and even Christmas.

But whether running outside or on the treadmill he has not missed a single day.

He said: “I think I got about three or four weeks in I got mild shin-splints that lasted for quite a while but I've just managed it by just slowing the runs down and letting the body recover that way.

“When you've got something on that day, you've got to organise around it, it all takes a lot of pre-planning.

“Doing it for charity has really helped because it’s given me more meaning to do it, and it's for such a good cause.

“I'm a big animal lover, and I think Thornberry do so much good work for the animals and look after them very well.

“I'd like to thank Claire for support, family and friends, and Hella Sidibe. He's the one who's inspired me to do the run, so I guess I've got a lot to thank him for.”

Ged Jenkins-Omar, fundraising manager at Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, said Andrew’s fundraising challenge was “fantastic”.

He said: “Committing to something every day for a year is a real achievement and we can’t thank Andrew enough for his support and pledge.

“It’s advocates like him that make a real difference to charities like ours.”

The charity relies wholly on funding from sponsors, grants and trusts, legacies and money made from its shops and new cafe on site to run the shelter, which costs between £300,000 and £400,000 a year to run.

The charity “survived” lockdown thanks to increased digital donations and fewer animals coming to the shelter, but now that life is returning to normal they have seen a lot more dogs entering the shelter.

Ged said: “We're getting a lot of French bulldogs and they’re known for having breathing problems. So it may be shelters like ours that are really going to get stuck with those kinds of bills, which are hundreds to thousands of pounds.”

The shelter has also welcomed a new animal behaviorist last month to help work with misbehaving dogs.

“Money that we receive will go towards helping to pay for that kind of specialist care for the animals.

“We appreciate people's support, and we’re always looking for volunteers to help with donations and in the shop.”

To donate to Andrew’s GoFundMe, click here.

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