Nurse who cared for terrorist attack injured set to run fundraising marathon
A trauma nurse coordinator who helped care for people caught up in the Westminster terror attack is preparing to run a marathon to support her heroic colleagues
Emily Ashworth is aiming to raise hundreds of pounds for Imperial College Healthcare Charity when she takes on the 26-mile test of endurance in Prague, Czech Republic, on 7 May.
Thanks to the combined fundraising efforts of Ms Ashworth and her husband Luke, she’s already exceeded her £500 target and is hoping to add to it before the big day arrives.
Inspirational team
Following the major incident in London on 22 March, Ms Ashworth used her role at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington to ensure the injured – many of whom came from abroad – had the right pathways in place to continue their recovery once they were discharged.
She said: ‘I’d heard about the attack via social media before Imperial’s Major Trauma Centre was officially alerted to the incident.
‘It was an absolute privilege to be part of the team and see everyone pull together.
‘It inspired me to do this marathon to support our work. On a day-to-day basis we see stabbings, shootings and find ourselves dealing with the victims of crime.’
Where the funding goes
The charity raises funds for all five of Imperial’s hospitals in London and since 2009 has given £34 million of grants to more than 500 projects.
Ms Ashworth qualified in 2011 in Manchester and worked as a renal nurse before moving first to Barts Health as a cardiology nurse and then to Imperial in 2013.
As well as work with trauma pathways, she also co-manages the hospital’s neuro-emergencies and trauma research team.
Having taken up running seven years ago, she attempted to enter the London marathon in 2015 and 2016, but had to pull out both times due to injury.
She added: ‘I fell off my bike before the 2015 event and ended up in my own A&E department!
‘I’ve had plenty of tips on avoiding injury from my colleagues, so hopefully there’ll be no problems this time.’
Ms Ashworth will continue her fundraising efforts later this year when she competes in the London Triathlon in July.
Further information
- Sponsor Emily via her Just Giving page