Five members of staff from all Coomers Timber & Building Supplies branches plus two wives of Coomers staff recently took part in the Bupa Great South Run at Southsea in aid of Winston’s Wish – the charity for bereaved children.

Coomers has so far raised more than £2,200 in Great South Run sponsorships.

Ben Thompson, Laura Armstrong, Steve Armstrong, Tim Knight, Stuart Knight, Nicky Thorneycroft and Claire Fewings were among 25,000 runners who participated in the 10 mile run, which took in the sights of Portsmouth’s landmarks including the Spinnaker Tower, HMS Victory and Southsea Seafront.

The runners said the atmosphere was brilliant and the crowd was amazing, as were the various bands along the route. Considering the forecast for strong winds, they were fairly lucky with the weather. There was drizzle at the starting line, followed by sun, but then on the last two miles along the seafront the gale force wind was against them, which after eight miles of running was not fun. Mr Armstrong and Mr Knight hit their goal times (it being their first Great South Run), while all the others beat their personal best, which considering the conditions was a great performance all round.

Coomers has been supporting Winston's Wish as its nominated charity during 2013 via a number of fundraising activities, including a charity golf day in September which raised just over £700.

It is estimated that by the end of 2013, Coomers will have raised in excess of £3,000 for Winston’s Wish.