Money-raising individual to take on Wolverhampton Half Marathon

A man from the West Midlands is preparing for the Wolverhampton Half Marathon, aiming to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

Matty Bennett, 28, from Kingswinford, is in training for the 13.2-mile journey which begins on the 3rd September 2023, in aid of Colin Rollason, who passed away after a 19 year battle with the disease.

Colin was an avid Aston Villa supporter and raised £9,000 for Parkinson’s UK himself since his diagnosis in 2004, and Matty Bennett is now following in his footsteps to give something back and help the grieving family.

The late Colin Rollason

Matty said: “This is another step in my journey to take part in a half marathon to see if I can tick it off, it will be a demanding test for me as I’ve not ran like this before, it’ll be tough but I’m a determined person.

“My training will be starting soon which is always the most grueling part, I’ll be going out alone and making sure I push myself to the absolute limits.

“I have spoken to Colin’s son Chris and both his daughters Claire and Zoe who are absolutely overwhelmed with what I’m doing for Parkinson’s UK, as it’s a charity close to the family’s and Colin’s hearts.

“The family are devastated to lose a man who was loved by so many, I just wanted to give something back and help in some way for them at this difficult time.”

The Wolverhampton Half Marathon will be another collection of some incredible achievements Matty Bennett has accomplished in the last three years, as he has also raised money for cancer-related charities.

Matty continued: “I love throwing myself in the deep end and raising money for charities, in the last three years I’ve raised £35,000 for a young girl suffering from cancer, and £16,000 for Macmillan cancer support, where I cycled 100 miles in one day between London and Birmingham across the Grand Union Canal.”

Matty Bennett will also be using the Wolverhampton Half Marathon to test himself for another money-raising challenge next year.

“I’m hoping the Wolverhampton Half Marathon will help me gain experience for another challenge and run next year’s London Marathon for another charity, but for now I’m solely focused on raising as much money as possible for Parkinson’s UK, we’ve currently reached £825 with the target of £5000 set before the event gets underway, so hopefully a lot of people can help out to reach that goal.”

You can sign up to the Wolverhampton Half Marathon or 10K run here – https://www.stuweb.co.uk/events/2023/09/3/4186/

Donate to Matty Bennett’s JustGiving page here - https://www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-bennett-parkinsonsuk