On October 2nd I am running the London Marathon in memory of Dylan Rich. Dylan passed away last September when he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest whilst playing football, just 17 yrs of age. He was one of my Biology students, in fact the brightest star of them all! A wonderful, intelligent, humble, kind young boy. He left behind his incredibly brave family and friends. Over the school year I have spent many hours talking about Dylan with his peers and trying to support them the best I can. They are an inspiration, compassionate and strong. The love and friendship shown by Dylan’s community has been beautiful.

Dylan’s family and friends were determined that his death should leave a lasting legacy, one that reflects Dylan’s passions. A legacy fund was therefore established and this is being used to support causes close to Dylan’s heart. It is an honour to be running for Dylan’s legacy and with the blessing of his family, my marathon steps will all be for his charity fund.

Dylan was passionate about sport and conservation so his family have chosen two charities which reflect these areas. The first charity partner is Belong, a Nottingham based organisation that supports migrants from all backgrounds. Dylan’s fund will provide regular football coaching for young people, train coaches in the community and enable teams to enter league football. It aims to give opportunities to those young people who would not normally be fortunate enough to have access to or funds for these sports, such as refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. (https://www.belongnottingham.co.uk)

Dylan’s legacy fund will also support the Nashulai Maasai Conservancy. The fund will help more rangers to increase nature conservancy, river clean ups and tree planting.  Supporting both the local wildlife and employment prospects for local people meant a lot to Dylan after he visited Kenya in 2019. (https://www.nashulai.com)

More details about Dylan’s legacy fund can be found here:(https://dylanrichlegacy.co.uk).

In these tough economic times, I am asking for any donation to help support Dylan’s legacy and help keep his memory alive through the work of the charities. Your support will be greatly appreciated and help change lives.

Whilst I pound the streets of London, I shall be thinking of Dylan and his family and friends, to help make the miles pass easier I would love to listen to the music of my supporters. Please feel free to therefore send me your song requests for my marathon playlist. Thank you!

Randip xxx