A former Caereinion High School headteacher will be taking part in the Great South Run to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

Philip Jones, who was headteacher of the secondary school in Llanfair Caereinion from 2019 to 2022, will be taking on the Great South Run on Sunday, October 15, just two weeks after he also completed the Cardiff Half Marathon.  

Mr Jones will be running the 10-mile road race in Portsmouth to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK, supporting their Live Loud campaign and also comes after a lengthy return to fitness following a ruptured quad muscle and hernia operation in 2022, only to be hit by another obstacle with a few weeks to go.

He said: “Training was going very well until September when I was hit with Covid, which put me out of action for about 10 days. But I was lucky to be back and my feet in time for the Cardiff Half Marathon.

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“That race was tough and was held on a particularly humid day for October so it was a challenge in itself, but now I’m feeling recharged and ready to get back to work for the Great South Run.”

Mr Jones completed the 13-mile run in just over two hours, and has currently raised £2,285 from the two events, blasting past his initial target of £1,000.

He added: “What is even more valuable than the amount of money raised is the potential to start a conversation about Parkinson’s and dementia, illnesses which affect more families than we realise.

“My father has been battling health issues recently and has been receiving wonderful support at his Care Home as well as specialist services. This is my opportunity to say thank you to all those who have  helped Dad but also to raise awareness of dementia and Parkinson’s.

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“They are both a kind of long goodbye for anyone living with the illness and their family, with a gradual deterioration of that person’s condition. Raising awareness of that is a victory in itself. The more informed and aware people are, the more prepared they can be.”

The former headteacher said that he has received a lot of support and well wishes from his old pupils and colleagues from Llanfair High School, with many donating to the fundraiser.

“The support has been amazing,” he said, “It really says a lot about Llanfair Caereinion as a community.

“I’d also like to thank Julie Maguire of Kaha Sports Therapy and Charlie Procter of Great Fitness for helping me prepare and train for the event.

“I’m looking forward to Sunday, which at the very least, will be flatter than flatter than Cardiff.”

The JustGiving page for the fundraiser can be found here.