Congratulations must go to Fr Paul Leonard, Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Basingstoke who ran the London Marathon in an amazing 3 hours and 23 minutes in the pouring rain raising a fantastic £5300 in much needed funds for CAFOD.

He has supported CAFOD for many years, being aware of the great and urgent work they do with some of the poorest communities in the world. Their links with local partners on the ground mean they can offer valuable and timely support when it is most needed.

As a runner, it made sense to him to think of a running event to raise money for CAFOD. However, a marathon distance was something he had never done before.

He said, “It was as gruelling as I thought it would be and I’ve spent the subsequent days recovering. While my fundraising target was an ambitious £2000, thanks to the generosity of friends, family and parishioners, we have smashed that and, the amount now stands at a phenomenal £5,300.  How incredible is that?”

There’s still time to donate by just clicking on Paul Leonard is fundraising for The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) (justgiving.com)

He’s entered the ballot for London next year… watch this space!