'Such an honour' - Popular St Annes street cleaner, 66, takes on heroic challenge
In recognition of his efforts, Ian was invited to meet Fylde mayor Cllr Frank Andrews and deputy mayor Cllr Cheryl Little in the mayor’s parlour at the town hall in St Annes.
A familiar face in St Annes has gone from cleaning the streets to pounding the streets of the capital to raise charity cash - at the age of 66.
Ian Lang raised almost £1,500 with his efforts in the London Landmarks Half Marathon and has expressed his thanks to the business owners and shoppers of St Annes for their generosity in backing him.
Of the money raised, £1,000 is going to mental health charities and the rest to Trinity Hospice - and Ian has his sights on several more fundraising efforts over the coming months and beyond, with the next on his schedule the Beaverbrooks Bike Ride in aid of Trinity in June.
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“I love raising money for good causes,” said Ian, who has worked as a street cleaner for Fylde Council for more than 20 years.
“I used to do a lot of running and cycling when I was younger but decided to pick it up again a few years ago when I was encouraged by a cafe owner in St Annes to have a go at the Trinity Santa Dash.
“I enjoyed that so much, I decided to keep going and have raised thousands of pounds now.
“Good causes such as Trinity and the mental health charities do great work and deserve backing. I know many people who have really benefited from their services.
“The people I see every day during my work in St Annes have been very generous and I am so grateful for their backing.
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“I was delighted with how the London Landmarks run went and I’m really looking forward to the Beaverbrooks Bike Ride. Age is just a number and I feel really good.”
In recognition of his efforts, Ian was invited to meet Fylde mayor Cllr Frank Andrews and deputy mayor Cllr Cheryl Little in the mayor’s parlour at the town hall in St Annes.
“I was so grateful for the invitation and it was such an honour to be there,” said Ian.
The idea of the London Landmarks Half Marathon was born in 2014 when baby charity, Tommy's embarked on a strategy to double the amount of money they raise annually.
Participants now raise money for a variety of good causes of their choice and more thn 18,000 took part this year.