The local community commemorated the life of Captain David Seath by running and walking 5K around Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline on Sunday 28 April, raising over £1100 in support of his legacy, which was established in his name following his tragic death running the 2016 London Marathon.
On what proved a wonderful spring day amongst the cherry blossoms of Pittencrieff Park, over one hundred and thirty runners and walkers completed 5K to mark the 3.2 miles Captain David Seath tragically did not finish when he tragically died running the 2016 London Marathon.
Now in its third year, the Captain David Seath Memorial Fund 5K run/walk event contributes to a wonderful sense of community, solidarity and positivity on the day the London Marathon takes place, which brings all ages, abilities and many groups from the local community and beyond together.
The Captain David Seath Memorial Fund has raised over £294,000 which has been used to support two hundred and forty-eight personnel and veterans living with life-changing physical and psychological trauma, through Help for Heroes, the charity which Captain Seath was running in support of during the London Marathon.
Gary Seath said:
“April is a very difficult time for our family and our 5K commemorative event provides a very important, positive focus on the day the London Marathon takes place. It’s a wonderful experience to warmly welcome so many from the local community to the event, which contributes to a fantastic sense of community spirt, positivity and solidarity.
“Equally, it’s overwhelming to witness attendees of all ages and abilities participate in our event, all of whom are passionate to commemorate David’s life and support his legacy through the Captain David Seath Memorial Fund. It doesn’t matter whether you complete the 5K distance in seventeen minutes or an hour and a half. What does matter is ensuring everyone who attends experiences the immense feeling of being part of something very special and that their support is greatly appreciated.”
The Captain David Seath Memorial Fund has recently announced that all fundraising will now support the development of Help for Heroes’ Fellowship Programme in Scotland, through its Band of Brother and Band of Sister Networks.
The funds will be used to support personnel, veterans as well as their loved ones to access vital life-long support at Phoenix House in Catterick as well as an opportunity to engage regularly with one another in communities across Scotland through a range of sporting, educational and social activities.
Chris and Emma Hoefling, said:
“It is inspiring to see the local community coming out to support the Captain David Seath Memorial Fund. The event is so accessible; no matter your age or ability, anyone who wants to join in is made to feel welcome and enjoy the day within a picturesque setting and support David’s legacy.”
Ryan Cridland said:
“It proved a fantastic event and we will be back next year. Hopefully both the event and David’s legacy will continue to grow. All those involved should be so proud of what they are continuing to achieve.”
Lorraine Abbot said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed it as I did last year it’s the whole friendly atmosphere when you are there. I am a runner and have done the London marathon but that’s not what I was there for. I am there to support our heroes and raise funds to do this. Roll on the next event.”
The event attracts ex-servicemen and women to participate and make a contribution towards David’s legacy, supporting fellow personnel and veterans living with life-changing physical and psychological wounds.
Steve Allwood, a Royal Navy veteran who served in the Falklands Islands campaign, said:
“The Captain David Seath Memorial 5K Run/Walk event was extremely well organised, very friendly and a warm welcome and encouragement is provided to all participants throughout the course in Pittencrieff Park. We are always happy to support a very worthwhile cause.”
Steven Bowman, an Army veteran said:
“As a former serviceman it was a great honour to run the 5k In memory of captain David Seath. A warm welcoming, well run event which supports a fantastic charity in Help for Heroes. I would definitely recommend to people of all ages and abilities to get involved.”
We offer our sincere thanks to 1145 Dunfermline Squadron RAF Air Cadets for their continued support as official Event Marshals. Captain David Seath served as a Cadet at 1145 Squadron during the early 2000’s, and it was the breadth of experiences gained as a cadet which developed his leadership skills, prior to studying at Aberdeen University and enrolling at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. 1145 Squadron continue to raise an incredible amount in support of David’s legacy and have established an annual award in his name.
We also wish to acknowledge the incredible support we continue to receive from both Fife Council and Dunfermline Park Run, who have made an invaluable contribution towards the success of our 5K commemorative event, behind the scenes, for the past three years.
Our next fundraising event is the Captain David Seath Memorial Fund Golf Day, which will take place at Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club on Friday 06 September 2019. Further information: https://captainseathmemorialfund.blog/home/events/golf-day/