Shropshire: Buckinghamshire student ready for Derwen College spinathon

Harry West, a horticulture student at Derwen College in Gobowen, can usually be spotted wearing his Wellington boots.

But in his spare time, he's also a keen runner.

However, he's branching into a new sport when he takes part in the college's second annual Spin Along Spinathon on March 24 and 25. 

Harry has pledged to pedal for a phenomenal eight hours to support sports co-ordinators Steve Evans and Sian Thomas, who will be spinning for a gruelling 24 hours.

Steve said: “Since he’s been at Derwen, Harry displayed a clear passion for sport and always engaged with enthusiasm. 

OTHER NEWS:

• LIVE: North Shropshire school and road closures after snow
• Busy A5 services set to expand after Shropshire Council grants permission
• Lake Vyrnwy the coldest place in Wales as snow hits the region

"It appeared that running and the prospect of entering races was a real motivator. "

Harry, who is autistic and has learning and communication difficulties, has excelled in sport since starting at the specialist college.

He started taking short runs around campus with sports co-ordinator Steve and has gradually increased training and distance. 

Harry entered the Welshpool 10k in March last year and completed it in one hour and six mins. 

Steve continued: "Based on this success and Harry’s appetite for running we started training for a half marathon. 

OTHER NEWS

• Plan to paint double yellow lines along busy Oswestry road
• Cheers! Popular Oswestry pub raises a glass with latest award voted for by punters
• Here's how volunteers are helping amorous toads to safety in one Shropshire town

"He has managed a half marathon distance around Lake Vyrnwy and loved the experience, so we’ve signed up for his first official half marathon in June."

The 20-year-old, from Buckinghamshire, will be splitting his time into three stints through the day and night and has already raised an amazing £1,000 for Derwen Charity. 

Taking part means he will be interrupting training for his first ever competitive half-marathon, in Redditch, which he’ll be running on June 18. 

Harry’s dad, Ed, said: "At the end of the Lake Vyrnwy run, we were quite emotional watching Steve as he put his hands on Harry’s shoulders, looked him in the eye, and said ‘Well done, you’ve achieved even more than we expected’.

Steve and Harry running at College (Image: PR)

"I’ve never run a half marathon before, so Harry and Steve have inspired me to do this and Steve has signed us both up to do it."

Harry added: “I like running more than spinning”, so Sian and Steve are particularly grateful that he has volunteered to be part of the Spinathon team. 

Each person taking part in the Derwen Charity Spin Along Spinathon will be embarking on their own personal challenge; some have never been on spin bike and will be aiming to spin for up to an hour, others have committed to far longer sessions on the bike.

Their aim is to raise funds and lend some moral support to Sian and Steve.

Money raised from the challenge will go towards new accessible sports changing room facilities which will benefit students and the community. 

The event has received sponsorship from Oswestry School, Bridge Coffee, Coach House Fitness, Active8 Gym, Planet Doors, Tanat Valley Coaches, Shropshire Design & Print and Co-op. 

Find out more and pledge your support for Harry and the team at www.derwen.me/HarrySpinathon

Or you can text SPINATHON and your donation (eg SPINATHON 10) to 70085. 

Want to stay up to date with all the latest stories from Oswestry and the surrounding area? Click here to sign up for our morning and daily email newsletters and click on the + for the ‘Morning Briefing’ and the 'Daily Catch-Up'.