Simon Bradley
My Story
I first ran the London Marathon way back in 2012! It was an amazing experience, but I stated that the only time I would do it again would be be if one or both of my daughters joined me. Fast forward to 2023 and my youngest has now decided it's time for us to take up the challenge.
I drink far too much, eat all the wrong foods, at all the wrong times and until I started training for this event, I genuinely couldn't run for a bus down the street!
The next task, other than buying trainers, was to pick a charity...
There are a great many deserving ones, but we picked the Born Free Foundation because of our love of animals. Those of a certain age may remember the film Born Free, which had a huge impact on my life, and helped ignite my love of big animals. From Elsa who raised the Adamsons profile to Christian the Lion purchased from Harrods Pet Shop by two friends (until the exotic animals act in 1976 you could actually buy Lions and other exotic species from that famous store). After realising that raising a lion in London wasn't very practical and extremely challenging, through friends they arranged for him to travel to Africa to be returned to his natural habitat in the wild.
George Adamson successfully released Christian into the Kora National Reserve, and nearly a year later, they returned. To their amazement, they were greeted by an enormous, fully-grown young lion who not only remembered them, but appeared to embrace them with delight. The video of this went viral recently and is easily found on youtube.
Christian went on to become the head of a small pride. His journey to freedom symbolises Born Free’s vision that every individual matters and their mission to ‘Keep Wildlife in the Wild.’ The very reason we picked this charity.
The foundation completes amazing work, and it is these charities that suffer the most when things get tight and with the squeeze on the cost of living challenging us all every day, they too need all the support they can get.
If you feel you can donate it would be really appreciated and every penny gratefully received by myself and the foundation!
I hope you can find time to watch the story of Christian and enjoy its extraordinary tale, of the inseparable bond between two humans and a Lion.
