Funeral director raises £7k for Hospice UK in London Marathon

Funeral director Anghus Weightman, who works alongside his father Paul at Godalming Funeral Service, ran the London Marathon in his full work attire and raised £7k for Hospice UK. 

Weightman was inspired to take on the challenge by the charity’s Dying Matters campaign, which aims to “make things better for people across the country who are dying or grieving”. 

An experienced runner, Weightman completed the course in four hours and 21 minutes after practising running in a three-piece suit complete with frock coat and top hat at local events. 

Weightman said: “I couldn’t go 20 metres without someone encouraging me from the sides. The atmosphere was unbelievable. I was expecting to have blisters from the rim of my top hat, but thankfully they didn’t materialise. It was the braces I used to keep the trousers up which actually caused the most discomfort, on top of the usual aches and pains from running that far.

“I wanted to complete it in less than four hours but woke up a little under the weather a couple of days before and felt my body cramping up with ten miles to go, so I made the decision to slow down a little to make sure I got to the finish line.”

He added: “I thought I would just raise some money and that would be the end of it. But the number of conversations I have had about this issue have been brilliant. The story has reached thousands of people and helped people understand that funeral directors are approachable and we do good work in the community; our door is open if you want to pop in for a cup of tea or a chat.”