Local hero runs Manchester Marathon for Dukinfield’s Together Centre

Lyndsey Bertenshaw took on 26.2 miles to support the community hub close to her heart.

Dukinfield’s Lyndsey Bertenshaw has gone the extra mile, 26.2 to be exact, after completing the Manchester Marathon to raise vital funds for The Together Centre, a community support hub based in the heart of Dukinfield.

Lyndsey, who works at Cosmo Bingo in Stalybridge, took up the challenge in honour of her late grandad, who was a familiar face at the centre. “My grandad used to come here, he was part of the Men’s Shed and the Loxley House group,” she said. “He spent many years here, and it really meant something to him. That’s what brought me to the centre in the first place.”

It was a year ago that Lyndsey got more formally involved, after a nudge from a friend. “Jackie asked me if I wanted to be more involved, and I ended up becoming a Treasurer Trustee,” she explained. “At the same time, I felt my life needed a change, something big, a real challenge, and that’s when the idea of running a marathon came to me.”

With little previous long-distance running experience, Lyndsey began training and signed up for the Manchester Marathon, which took place in April. Backed by an outpouring of support from regulars at Cosmo Bingo, friends, and family, she smashed her fundraising target raising over £1,100 for The Together Centre.

“The support from the community has been amazing,” she said. “Everyone at work got behind me, and it really kept me going during the tough parts of training and the race itself.”

The funds raised will go towards supporting the wide range of services The Together Centre provides.

“The centre brings people together, it’s what it’s all about,” Lyndsey added. “I’m so proud to have been able to give back to a place that’s done so much for my family and for so many others.”

For those wishing to support the centre or find out more about its work, visit www.actiontogether.org.uk