Sports Rehabilitation Students from St Mary’s Support Charities at the London Marathon

Students from the BSc and MSc Sports Rehabilitation programmes and the Professional Short Course in Sports Massage at St Mary’s University, Twickenham supported the fundraising efforts of 16 charities at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon by offering free sports massages to almost 400 runners after their races. This was a unique opportunity for the students to volunteer their time to help good causes, which also allowed them to practice and develop their skills in a ‘real world’ setting. This year the students supported charities including the Mo Farah Foundation, Mind, Mencap, World Cancer Research Fund, and Health Poverty Action, amongst many others. Lecturer in Sports Rehabilitation at St Mary’s Paul Draper, who co-ordinated the volunteering this year, said, “The London Marathon was a fantastic opportunity for our students to practice their skills, whilst helping 16 really worthwhile charities and their runners. More than 80 students volunteered this year, with some coming back for the second or third time. Feedback from the charities on the students’ professionalism and enthusiasm has been amazing.” St Mary’s Sports Rehabilitation programme has been supporting the London Marathon for the past 13 years, and hopes to continue building this relationship in the years to come. The University has a long history with the London Marathon; in addition to a number of students, staff and alumni competing in the race itself, the London Marathon has also supported the Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre (EPACC) since 2001.