Pounding feet for Camphill support

52,000 pounds to raise pounds for Exhale

Stuart Probart, from Kincausie Estate, Maryculter, near Aberdeen, is in the final stages of his 100-mile training for Sunday’s (May 23) Edinburgh Marathon.

The 45-year-old teacher is the veteran of eight marathons, including Amsterdam in October 2009 and Edinburgh last year. He has worked out that, in the 26.2 miles of the Edinburgh Marathon, his feet will slam into the tarmac 52,000 times.

“All this pounding makes my feet sore,” Stuart says. “It also hurts the ankles, legs, knees, hips and so forth. At about 20 miles my body’s store of glycogen fuel will run out. Runners whose bodies have not yet learned to burn fat will often hit the wall at this point. Then there is the hobbling around for several days after the race.”

Why is he putting himself through this? For Stuart, it is not just the challenge of completing the race, he is using his entry to raise funds for Camphill Medical Practice and its ExHale programme, designed to tackle hypertension (commonly known as high blood pressure).

“Hypertension is a health condition which affects at least 12% of the Scottish population,” Stuart explains. “This condition leads to a heightened risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, alongside uncertainty and worries, possible loss of control over oneself, feelings of despair and reduced self image.

“The ExHale programme is delivered jointly by the NHS and charity arms of Camphill Medical Practice. The programme offers powerful tools to help strengthen your sense of self and control over your life. The ExHale project is not funded by the NHS and so it relies on patient contributions and fundraising and donations to offset the running costs.”

Camphill Medical Practice, one of seven charities within Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire, provides NHS primary care services to the local community along with the intensive professional care required by the children and adults in Camphill communities in the Aberdeen area. The medical practice is a former winner of the Innovative Practice Award and the Quality Practice Award, both presented by the Royal College of General Practitioners.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Camphill in Aberdeen. On June 1, 1940 a group of young refugees opened the door of Camphill House in Milltimber, Aberdeen, to children with with special needs.

From those early days in wartime Aberdeen, Camphill has now grown to encompass 100 communities in 23 countries. In the Aberdeen area more than 700 people live and work in Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire charities.

Stuart Probart’s fundraising page on Just Giving is at http://www.justgiving.com/Stuart-Probart

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