Anthony will run 1,569 miles to help relatives in war-hit Dnipro

Run 2 Ukraine was set up in February by Brighton & Hove Albion season ticket holder Anthony Seddon following the Russian invasion.

Anthony met his wife Anna whilst travelling across Ukraine in the summer of 2012 watching England and the European Championship. They married in 2015 and have two young children.

Most of Anna’s family remain in Dnipro, a city which has been heavily targeted by Russian missiles throughout the war. Anthony is running the 1569 miles between the Amex Stadium and the home of FC Dnipro to raise money for sending vital medical supplies to Dnipro.

He has covered just under 200 miles so far with donations totally £14,900. Six deliveries of medical aid have been made, with packages heading from Sussex to Poland, across the border with Ukraine and directly onto paramedics on the frontline in Dnipro via Anna’s friends and family sheltering from Russian bombardment.

The need for more medial aid has become particularly acute in the last fortnight with Russia upping their targeting of major Ukrainian cities. At the height of the bombing, 81 cruise missiles were unleashed whilst men, women and children travelled to schools, universities and places of work.

Over half were destroyed in mid-air. Those that got through however caused major damage to buildings, Ukraine’s energy network and its people. The count of fatalities and causalities was high.

Anthony said of the campaign so far: “Given the cost of petrol, energy, food, just about everything in fact in the UK over the last few months, we have been taken aback by people’s kindness and generosity when life is not easy for any of us.”

“Unfortunately, life in Ukraine is no better than it was back in March when Putin declared war. Putin will not stop and neither will we without fundraising, nor the people of Ukraine fighting for their homes and county. The donations we have received so far have helped save the lives of those people and we want to save more. Anything people can give to the cause plays a part.”

The Lancing 10k kicks off an intense period of running for Anthony, including his first ever marathon on December 16th. Anthony and his family will be at Culver Road for the Lancing v VCD Athletic game, where a bucket collection will be held.

If you cannot make it along, then you can donate online via the Run2Ukraine website at www.run2ukraine.org or the campaign’s GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/run2ukraine