Teachers run 100km between Premier League and Championship football clubs for colleague diagnosed with cancer

Three teachers are preparing themselves to run between all of London’s Premier League and Championship football clubs to fundraise for charity after their colleague was diagnosed with cancer.

Matt Attenborough, 30, Charlie Blair, 40, and Marcus Hall, 33, from Newton Prep School in Battersea Park Road, Nine Elms, will attempt to run the 100km distance across London on May 11.

The trio are raising money for the stem cell transplant charity, Anthony Nolan, after their colleague Shivani Amin, 34, of Summerley Street, Earlsfield, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in December 2023.

Ms Amin – a maths teacher and former Newton Prep pupil – said the news came as a “huge shock” due to her active lifestyle. Her colleagues described her as “the most sporty teacher in school”.

Manchester United fan Ms Amin is currently undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton. She is waiting on a bone marrow transplant, currently scheduled for May, having found a match in her sister, Supriya Amin. 

Blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK. Each year, four out of 10 people in the UK do not find their match in the event they need a stem cell transplant.

Ms Amin said: “When I was first told about the run, I couldn’t quite believe it. I am so touched and honoured that my wonderful friends and colleagues have taken this on.”

The trio will set off at midnight on May 10, from Battersea Park, and are aiming to arrive back at the park at around 4pm the following day.

The 100km route will see them travel south to Crystal Palace, then south-east to Millwall, and Charlton Athletic, then on to the London Stadium where they will go pitchside. 

They will continue north to Tottenham Hotspur, before going pitchside at both the Emirates Stadium and Wembley Stadium. 

The final leg will see them head west out to QPR, Brentford, Chelsea and finally Fulham, before returning to Battersea Park. 

They will be joined along the way by fellow teachers and friends, who plan to turn out in support of Ms Amin, all of whom have signed up for 50km or 25km segments of the run, with more than 10 people committed already. 

The full-time teachers have been training non-stop since December 2023, regularly running more than 20 miles at the end of the busy working week in preparation for the fundraiser. 

Mr Hall said: “We wanted to mix Shivani’s love of football with her love of fitness. 

“We are not ultra-marathon runners, we’ve never run this distance before. It’s going to be painful, but not nearly as hard as the challenge Shivani is going through.

“We want to show her as much love and support as possible.” 

The runners have asked pupils, friends and family to join them on the final 3km lap of the park, ending at the historic bandstand. 

Ms Amin said she hopes to be well enough to congratulate them at the finish line. 

To date, the teacher’s #Shift4Shivani Campaign has raised more than £12,000 for Anthony Nolan.

Kirsty Mooney, head of supporter-led fundraising at Anthony Nolan, said: “It’s amazing to see the level of support from Shivani’s school.

“Thanks to supporters like them, we can work towards a future where every patient who needs us can survive and thrive.”

Since her cancer diagnosis, Ms Amin said she keeps in regular contact with her Year 8 class via video messages. She hopes to be well enough to return to teaching during the next academic year. 

To donate, visit: Justgiving.com/page/shift4shivani

Pictured top: from left, teachers Charlie Blair, Matt Attenborough and Marcus Hall (Picture: Newton Prep School )