Team BTA ready to “Run to the Beat” to raise tinnitus awareness

Team BTA ready to “Run to the Beat” to raise tinnitus awareness

Chemical Engineering student Becky Bone (21); Andy Kenyon, a 46 year old father of two; Ana Gomez, a physiotherapist and osteopath from London; and 28 year old archaeologist Pia Spry-Marques from Cambridge will be among the runners at the Nike Run to the Beat event in London on 28 October 2012 raising funds for the British Tinnitus Association.

Becky will be taking part in her very first half marathon. 
Both Becky’s parents have tinnitus and Becky, a student at Loughborough University, said “I’ve taken up running whilst at university to keep fit, and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the condition, support the British Tinnitus Association, and take part in my first half marathon”.

Andy’s father and 14 year old daughter, Lizzie, both are affected by tinnitus and says, “Earlier this year, we started looking again at what could be done to help Lizzie, as with GCSE's looming we thought the tinnitus could have an effect on her education. 

She started researching tinnitus on the internet and came across the BTA website www.tinnitus.org.uk. Lizzie told me about the BTA and I joined to provide support. 

She then decided off her own back that she wanted to support them and organised her own sponsored event doing a 'go without technology' weekend (tough for her) which raised £150. 

I hope one day there will be relief or a cure for something that affects so many people and especially those I love.”

Ana, originally from Spain, has already run several half marathons in her home country, but this time she will be supporting the British Tinnitus Association (BTA).

When at University, Ana studied tinnitus, but never knew how uncomfortable it really was until she treated a patient with the condition. 

He told her his own experience and how it affected his life. He could not cope with the constant “ringing sound” in his ear.
Ana said “I’m really looking forward to taking part in this challenge and I hope people will support me and help me raise as much money as possible for the BTA.”

Twelve years ago Pia, now aged 28, began experiencing tinnitus - a sound in the ears or head with no external source - whilst on holiday in Italy. 

Says Pia, “After I first got tinnitus I greatly benefitted from reading some leaflets from the BTA at my GP surgery about tinnitus and since then have slowly been getting better as I now know more facts about how to manage the condition.”

Says David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the British Tinnitus Association: “Tinnitus is a sound in the ears or head that has no external source for which is no cure at the moment and it can severely affect quality of life. 

The BTA offers help and support so that people can learn to manage tinnitus successfully. Six million adults in the UK have tinnitus, and without the efforts of runners such as Becky, Andy, Ana, and Pia, the BTA would struggle to raise the £250 000 we need each year to continue to offer our free services. 

We currently receive no government funds to support our work so every donation really is vital to our work. 

We wish Team BTA good luck with the run!”

If you would like to support the runners, please go to www.justgiving.com/bta and click on ‘fundraisers’ where you will be able to find each runner’s fundraising page. 

Alternatively, donations can be made to the BTA over the phone on 0114 250 9933.

without the efforts of runners such as Becky, Andy, Ana, and Pia, the BTA would struggle to raise the £250 000 we need each year to continue to offer our free services

fuente: BTA British tinnitus Association
http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/team-bta-ready-to-run-to-the-beat-to-raise-tinnitus-awareness