REHAU's Laurence Chownsmith to run London Marathon for Scope

Cold winter evenings and wet conditions are no barrier for Laurence Chownsmith, National Sales Manager at REHAU, who is preparing to take on the London Marathon this year. 

The iconic race takes place in April and so Laurence is already busy training for the run, which he is taking on to raise money for REHAU’s chosen charity, Scope. 

REHAU’s goal is to raise £12,000 for Scope by the end of 2019, and so when a place to run the London Marathon for the charity came up, Laurence jumped at the chance to take part. He is aiming to raise £2,000 towards the overall total for Scope through sponsorship. 

Laurence is an experienced runner, having completed around 100 marathons over his 30-year running career, several of these being the London Marathon. His best time at London so far is three hours and 25 minutes, but he hopes to beat this to prove that even at 55, he still has a lot more miles in him. 

He said: “It feels great to be able to support a charity as great as Scope. Working together as a team to try and beat our £12,000 target has been an amazing experience for everyone at REHAU. 

“I’m really looking forward to taking part in the London Marathon again, this time for Scope. It’s an iconic event with its huge range of competitors and the way so many people are running for charities. Hopefully I’ll be able to raise lots of money, while also beating my personal best.”

Frank Bowmaker, Corporate Account Manager at disability equality charity Scope, said: “We’re delighted that Laurence is running the London Marathon for us. Scope can only do the amazing work that it does thanks to the generous support we get from our partners and donors.

“Scope is calling on everyone – businesses, politicians and the public – to become Disability Gamechangers and share what they are doing to create equality for disabled people. Anyone working to challenge stigma and negative attitudes is a Disability Gamechanger. Change requires action at all levels in society and everyone can play their part.”

Scope was nominated as REHAU’s charity partner in late 2017. The aim of the charity is to achieve a society where all disabled people enjoy equality and fairness. By 2022, Scope hopes to directly reach more than two million disabled people and their families every year with information, advice and support, and they will continue to campaign for everyday equality for disabled people. 

Throughout 2018 the team at REHAU has been holding various fundraising events and activity to raise money towards the ambitious total. As part of this the REHAU team completed the Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Scope. It was a great experience for all involved and raised much needed money for the charity. 

If you’d like to show your support for Laurence and Scope visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rehauscope