A group of dedicated dads have conquered blood, sweat and tears to raise almost five grand for a rural Macclesfield school.

Lee Thorneycroft, Richard Albiston, John Campey, Simon Aggersbury and Ben Cookson ran a combined total of 65.5 miles at the Manchester Half Marathon last weekend.

The five fathers did the challenge to raise funds for a new building at Wincle Preschool, which is next to Wincle Primary School, as reported on by Macclesfield Nub News earlier this month.

They all have kids who go to Wincle Primary School, and have graduated from the Preschool, which requires a robust new building.

The current Wincle Preschool building.

Macclesfield Nub News caught up with Ben Cookson, who works at a civil servant, to find out how the run went.

"So far, we have raised £4800," said Ben.

"Thank you to everyone who has donated. It's been an amazing collective effort and it just shows wait we are capable of when we work together.

"It has been two days since the Half Marathon. I'm feeling a lot better today. But yesterday was tough! I even took the day off work because I couldn't get off the sofa."

Ben Cookson thanked the Wincle, Macclesfield Forest and wider Macclesfield community for their support.

86 people have donated so far, to help them smash what was their original £3000 target and then some.

They are just £200 shy of having raised £5000, which, while it won't pay for the full structure would be an incredible figure to hit.

"It was a great day, what an experience it was", added Ben.

"There were five dads in total that represented Wincle School. Richard and John finished in 1:51. Lee finished in 1:55. Myself 2:23 and Simon 2:29.

"I'm not a runner, not physically or mentally. So this was a big challenge for me. 

"However, I really surprised myself by running the first 12 miles without stopping. I was over the moon with that, but once I stopped, my body just shut down and the last mile was immensely difficult.

"I still ran, but the last mile was much slower. The crowd are amazing though and they shout your name when they see your bib and really give you a boost. That bit is so cool!

"It was amazing to get over the finish line. My initial thoughts were just disbelief at running that distance! Then i wanted to find the rest so we could celebrate!

"The final word from me is to always challenge yourself. Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. That is where true growth resides. We are all capable of much more, but you have to challenge yourself to see it."

Wincle CE Primary School's current Headteacher is Sarah Smith.

She told Macclesfield Nub News: "Everybody at Wincle CE Primary School is extremely proud of Ben, John, Richard, Simon and Lee for completing the marathon and helping us raise vital funds for a brand-new preschool."

"In school, we learn about how important it is to help and serve others and these dads have been an inspiration to many of the pupils how they are helping and serving us with our mission to replace the preschool building.

"The pupils have taken inspiration from the team and have started planning events to raise their own money and even people from the local community have got in touch to say they would like to help. Wincle is a fantastic community to be a part of and this showcases how we aim to shine like stars at Wincle School." 

Macclesfield: It is not too late to donate, you can do so ON THIS LINK.

See Also: Macclesfield good cause donates trees to kids at Bollinbrook Primary School

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