Gary Stiefel with his medal

A DOCTOR from Whittlesford completed the Bupa Great North Run on Sunday for Make-A-Wish Foundation® UK.

Gary Stiefel, who completed the 13.1 mile run in 1hr 47mins, has raised over £15,000 for Make-A-Wish - the charity that grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions - after running the GNR for them six times.

“I first heard about Make-A-Wish when I worked in Oncology and decided it was a great cause to raise money for – and it helps to keep me fit,” said Gary.

Karen England, director of fundraising at Make-A-Wish, said: “We are extremely grateful to Gary for running the Great North Run on behalf of Make-A-Wish. We have just granted our 8,000th wish – a milestone we wouldn’t have been able to reach without the help of dedicated supporters like Gary.”

To support Gary visit his JustGiving page at justgiving.com/gary-stiefel1.

There are currently 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening condition and this year alone 1,400 children will turn to Make-A-Wish to have their wish granted. The charity needs to raise £6.8 million in 2012 and receives no government funding or lottery grants – so every donation really does count.

For more information about Make-A-Wish, visit make-a-wish.org.uk or call 01276 405060.