Seven eager runners took part in the Simplyhealth Great Tees 10K run on Saturday 8 September to raise money for ARC’s A Theatre Trip for Every Child campaign.
The team was made up of ARC employees Daniel Mitchelson, Patrick Hollifield, and Umar Butt, plus members of their families, and Peter Lock and Graham Darby of North Star Housing Group who have been supporting the scheme over the past year.
A Theatre Trip for Every Child is ARC’s charitable giving scheme. It encourages donors to contribute towards a scheme that aims to give every five year old child in Stockton a free trip to the theatre. Anyone can donate, whether they are a business or an individual, and a donation of just £10 means that one child from Stockton has the opportunity to visit the theatre. For many children it will be their very first experience of live theatre.
Daniel Mitchelson, ARC’s Programme Coordinator, was the first team member to finish in a time of 58 minutes and 38 seconds, closely followed Graham Darby and Peter Lock from North Star Housing, with Umar Butt, Victoria Butt, Abigail Beck, and Patrick Hollifield completing the course shortly afterwards. The run was even more of a challenge for Patrick who injured his ankle during the race but who still managed to go the distance before heading to the first aid tent after crossing the finishing line.
The runners’ joint efforts managed to raise a total of nearly £2,500 which exceeded their expectations and means that at least 250 children from Stockton will be able to enjoy their first live theatre performance free of charge.