College of West Anglia (CWA) Programme Manager and Staff Governor, Paul Gibson, has been making a significant difference outside the classroom by running marathons for charity. Over the years, Paul has been a passionate advocate for young people facing cancer, raising vital funds for various organisations through his marathon efforts.  

Paul’s marathon journey began in 2017, when he took on the iconic London Marathon to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. In 2019, he ran the London Marathon again, this time supporting CLIC Sargent, and most recently, in 2021, he ran for Young Lives vs Cancer, a charity close to his heart that supports children, young people and their families facing cancer. This year, Paul is gearing up for the York Marathon, which takes place in just three weeks. This follows his fantastic achievement at the Brighton Marathon 2024, where he smashed his personal best, finishing with an impressive time of 3 hours, 24 minutes and 46 seconds. He’s also signed up for the Manchester Marathon, continuing his commitment to running for a cause. 

Paul explained, “Following my eldest daughter’s diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma in 2016, she received amazing support from Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Lives Vs Cancer (formerly Clic Sargent).

I wanted to give something back to the charities and help support the work that they do for young people in their care. I had run a few half marathons in the past and had just started to get back into running at my local parkrun. Taking on a marathon was the perfect opportunity to set a significant challenge to myself and raise as much money as possible”.

For more information on how to support Young Lives vs Cancer or Paul’s marathon journey, visit here.