A HAMPSHIRE woman has run 230km in memory of her cat.
Keen runner Laura Wren from Bishop’s Waltham put on her trainers to run the distance of five and a half marathons to commemorate her late cat Misty who died two years ago.
After Misty passed away in May 2020 after a battle with heart disease, Laura decided to honour her legacy on Pet Remembrance Day through Battersea’s Pet Tribute Funds.
She settled on taking part in several running challenges to remember Misty whilst fundraising for the dogs and cats at animal welfare charity, Battersea.
'Years of precious memories'
Laura said: “I wanted to raise money for Battersea to give their dogs and cats the chance of finding their forever homes and to have the love and support that we gave to Misty for the 10 years we had her in our lives.
“These were 10 years of precious moments and memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.
“The support I received from Battersea from the moment I told them my plans was incredible.
“It felt like Battersea was with me every step of the way and remained with me on my journey to this day.
“I will be forever grateful for the support Battersea has given me, and I want to thank them for being there in one of the most challenging and difficult times of my life.”
'An incredible supporter'
Laura ran 100km in a single week during lockdown in 2020 which marked the start of her fundraising journey.
Since then, Laura has taken part in running challenges such as the 45km South Coast Ultra Challenge and Virtual London Marathon in 2021, and running 50km for Battersea’s Run a mile a day in May challenge.
To date, she has raised over £750 for the dogs and cats at Battersea.
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Tessa Bailey, Legacy and In Memory Fundraising Manager at Battersea, said: “Laura has been an incredible supporter of our work as an animal welfare charity.
“The funds she has raised from the incredible challenges she completed in Misty’s memory will allow us to support even more dogs and cats everywhere.
“Without the fundraising efforts of our generous supporters like Laura, we couldn’t do what we do here at Battersea.”
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