MARATHON RUNNER: Liz Kelleher raised £3,000 for charity running the London Marathon
Written by David Bishop
Well she’s only gone and done it again and our Liz Kelleher has only completed the 26.2 miles of London town on Sunday, October 2, making her total of no less than three marathon’s in all for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Her target was to raise £2,000 but this cracking never give up ex-airline lady at Gatwick Airport and now in a totally different profession – training as a nursing midwife at East Surrey Hospital – has already passed that much by totalling over £3,000 no less.
Liz said: “The weather at the assembly park at Blackheath, was cold with wet grass but soon the sun came out. It was time to take off the unwanted clothing and leave it on the grass for a team of specialised people to pick it up and save it all for charity. I started running at 10.50am.”
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She was wearing linked ear buds that kept her in touch with her team of Tatsfielders who had travelled up to London to cheer her on at a number of places but she couldn’t work them properly until the 18 mile point showed up. This is when she had the dreaded marathon pain hit her – but this gutsy people person lady gritted her teeth and with that smiley face somehow girded her loins and finished the race at 5.14pm making her time of six hours 22 minutes and 28 seconds.
Recently Liz had run a very successful quiz night at Tatsfield’s Village Hall and raised well over £2,000 – again for charity.
She is wonderful gal and is so grateful for all of the local Tatsfielders who travelled to London on that wonderful money raising day to keep her company including Tara-Claire, Jon Miller and others including Sarah Cole who asked her if she would go for yet another London Marathon – to which she replied “definitely no!” But Sarah said that there was twinkle in her eyes yet again and without a doubt she will be running the half marathon in training from Tatsfield to Warlingham Green and back again which is equivalent to a half marathon. Will she do it again – of course she will – ‘Cos she’s British and a Tatsfielder – see!
Ex WRAFF dies at 99.
Some sad news comes from the Tatsfielders Lesley Bennett along with Vic (her other half) – who are both London cabbies with their own electric taxis. Lesley explained that her mother Jane Elizabeth Bennett and just missed the 100 had passed away on Friday, September 23, at the age of 99 years.
AMAZING LADY: Jane Elizabeth Bennett who recently passed away
She was born on November 29, 1922 and when the war came she joined the RAF (females were named WAAF) and served as an aircraft mechanic and worked on Spitfires, Hurricanes and also Lancaster bombers having risen in the ranks to a corporal. Before that she could have had to go for trade training (usually completed at RAF Northolt) – North London. Upon being demobbed she found herself employed in metal lathing work making stainless steel vases. With her aeronautical knowledge this lady soon proved herself very good as mixing with many like-minded people and she was invited to all sorts of associated places to give talks on her multitude of experiences that she confessed to having the time of her life.
Many aeroplane places and museums would welcome this ex RAF female mechanic to give talks and she was very often seen autographing items at airshows where she was held in great esteem.
Her daughter Lesley said: “In preparing for her mother’s funeral last Friday (that started from Tatsfield Village,) the well know Heritage Unit at Biggin Hill was contacted by a friend who asked if a Spitfire could do a goodbye flyover over the village to honour this wonderful air minded war serving lady. Consequently there was quite a crowd gathered in Westmore Road at 11.15am to witness the event. Sadly no Spitfire came and the funeral cortege went on its way to Benchley.
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