by Rebecca Hannant
A Withernsea firefighter has completed the Hull 10k in full kit to raise money for the Firefighters Charity.
On Saturday, June 7, Andrew Holbrook took on the challenge wearing full fire gear and breathing apparatus, raising more than £2,000 in the process.
Andrew said: “I ran the Hull 10k for the Firefighters Charity. I wanted to do a bit of running this year, so I thought, ‘Why not try to raise a bit of money?’
“I keep fit, I’ve done a lot of events around here, so I thought I would be all right. I’ve done a few three-milers with the full kit on.
“I got to the fifth mile on the day, and I could have started to cry. I got through it with sheer grit.
“I also saw a few people from the local community who recognised me and were all encouraging me. So that really helped. It was cool in the morning and brightened up towards the end.
“The crowds were good. They changed the route this year, but it was nice to finish on the pitch of Craven Park – not that I had much left to give at that point.”
Andrew completed the run in 58 minutes and 40 seconds. He initially set a target of £500 but was overwhelmed by the response after posting his appeal on social media.
“I thought that if I raised 500 quid that’d be absolutely spot on. When I put it on social media, it really blew up. I had loads of support from friends and the community.
“I’ve raised over £2,000, which is four times my initial target. This is the first solo event I’ve done for them, but we did Movember as a fire station last year.”
Funds raised will go to the Firefighters Charity, which supports crew members and their families, particularly with physical and mental health needs.
Andrew added: “The charity is important to me because I’ve seen the work they do to help people. They offer counselling and other things like that. They’re so open about talking about mental health. They offer crisis lines, which are all accessible through a QR code. They are so forthcoming with the help people need.
“I’ve been in the service for just over 12 months now. It’s something I was never really that interested in.
“I nearly lost a friend in the service, and I pretty much saved his life. So I thought I could use it locally. I fell into the training and just loved every second of it. Now it’s amazing to be part of the community. You get kids pointing at you in the street and it’s brilliant.”
Andrew says he has plans to take part in more community events and fundraisers in future.
To donate, visit page.justgiving.com/fundraising-heroes?pageId=JG_53361331.