Incredible Fundraising Effort from Newbury Firefighter

I wanted to take a moment to recognise something truly remarkable that happened in our area earlier this month.

Martyn Ainsworth, a firefighter based at Newbury Fire Station, became the first person to run to all 12 fire stations in Berkshire in one go. Alongside his childhood friend and fellow firefighter Shaun Foley, they took on the Station2Station ultramarathon challenge to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and they absolutely smashed it.

Setting off from Newbury and finishing in Maidenhead, they covered nearly 93 kilometres in just under 10 hours, despite the heat and humidity on the day. It’s an extraordinary physical achievement, but what stood out most to me was their reason for doing it.

Martyn spoke openly about how much the charity had helped him after a serious arm injury, and how many of his colleagues—up to 90 percent—have relied on its support at some point. This challenge was about giving something back and raising awareness of a service that too often goes unseen.

Their original goal was to raise £1,200. At the time of writing, they’ve raised nearly three times that, with over £3,400 donated. It’s a brilliant example of the community coming together, with people donating, cheering them on at each fire station, and showing their appreciation in all sorts of ways.

We often talk about the courage and dedication of our emergency services, but this was a real reminder of just how far that spirit goes, both on and off duty. Martyn, Shaun, and their support team from Red Watch at Newbury should be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.

If you see any of them around town, please do congratulate them. They’ve done Newbury proud.

So much incredible fundraising takes place right here in our community, I’m constantly amazed by the heart and spirit of the people of Newbury and West Berkshire. If you’ve got a good news story to share, I’d love to hear it.