A Putney home care team has raised over £10,500 for bone health research But the marathon hasn’t started yet.
Kunal Prakash and his friend Sandip Patel run together every week. This Sunday, they will run the London Marathon. When they registered to raise money for the Royal Osteoporosis Society, their team set a target of £5,000. By this morning, 237 supporters had donated £10,573 (105% of a revised £10,000 target), and the race is still days away.
Both men are running in memory of parents they have lost.
Kunal, who co-owns Walfinch home care Richmond and Putney, is running for his father Om Prakash, who died 35 years ago. “His strength, resilience, and values continue to guide me,” he said, “and running in his memory is my way of honouring his life and legacy.”
For Sandip, this is his first marathon. He has lost both his mother, Mrudula Patel, and his father, J C Patel, in recent years. “This will be my first marathon, making it an especially emotional and meaningful challenge as I honour my mother’s memory with every mile.”
The two have been running together since 2020, including two half marathons. This is Kunal’s sixth London Marathon.
Why osteoporosis
The choice of charity makes sense for what Walfinch does. The company provides care for older people at home, and osteoporosis is one of the most common conditions in that age group. According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, half of women and one in five men over 50 will break a bone because of it. The condition accounts for 500,000 fractures a year in the UK and affects 3.5 million people.
The marathon run is part of a wider fundraising effort. In March, Walfinch staff, clients, and supporters did a 5km walk and run on Hampstead Heath. Kunal and Sandip were there too, having already done a 20km training run earlier the same day.
How to donate and check your bone health
Donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/team/walfinch. The team has 15 members and has now raised more than double its original target. “Every donation, big or small, will help make a difference,” said Kunal.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society also offers a free online bone health risk check, the Great British Bone Check, at the Royal Osteoporosis Society website.
