Getting behind Team Anderson!

Quick off the mark – employees from the Chelmsford-based Anderson Group will be hot footing it to the London Marathon on Sunday April 23 to raise money for the company’s own charity, the Anderson Foundation which primarily supports the National Autistic Society.

The 11-strong group have been receiving support from a personal coach as part of their training programme to get them through the gruelling 26.2 miles.

Anderson Group Managing Director Andrew Jay, who ruptured a knee ligament while skiing and had to drop out last year, is thrilled to be taking part this year.

He said: “We’re all extremely excited and everyone has been training really hard. We hope families, friends and colleagues will all come along to support us as we take to the streets of London for this wonderful cause.

“Anderson is currently building a fantastic world-leading school for the National Autistic Society in Chigwell and our fundraising efforts will help support this excellent charity even further.”

He added: “Not only do sporting endeavours like this raise amazing amounts of money, they also bring people together in mutually supportive ways which enhances the overall spirit of teamwork within our business.

“Last year, we entered a team of seven people who enjoyed the event so much they told everyone about it so that this year we had 30 people competing for 11 places.

“We have runners of all abilities and from all parts of the business taking part and at least four runners are targeting sub four hour times which will be an incredible achievement. I am always humbled by the commitment our incredible team demonstrate every day!”

The London Marathon is the world’s biggest marathon event, with 50,000 runners taking part. It starts at 10am at Blackheath and winds its way past the Cutty Sark at Greenwich and over Tower Bridge to the finish line along The Mall, with Buckingham Palace as the scenic backdrop.