Quaker gets MBE for sponsored walks
Quaker centenarian raised more than £49,000 for Thames Valley Air Ambulance
Newbury Friend Ruth Saunders has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List. The Quaker centenarian received the award for her sponsored walk for Thames Valley Air Ambulance in which she has raised more than £49,000.
Ruth, who is 104, originally set out on 104 sponsored autumn walks to raise money for the cause, but then extended her goal. Her inspiration was Tom Moore, who famously raised £32 million for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his patio in the days leading up to his 100th birthday. Ruth walked the final two laps at Newbury Racecourse on 4 November where she was filmed and photographed.
She described the Thames Valley Air Ambulance as ‘such wonderful people and came to the assistance of my son when he needed them. I want to do something to help them in return’. Ruth Saunders’ fundraising page is at: www.justgiving/fundraising/ruthsaunders104.
