Man raises £15k doing run in mum's memory

The Paterson family set up the charitable trust in memory of Rose Paterson

The son of the late Aintree Racecourse chairwoman Rose Paterson has run 48 miles (77km) in 48 hours to raise money for the trust set up in her memory.

Felix Paterson has so far raised nearly £15,000 of his £20,000 target which will go to charities which work to prevent suicide.

The charitable trust was set up in 2021, following the death of Mrs Paterson, 63, who took her own life in 2020.

Her son Felix, 36, told BBC Radio Shropshire the trust had been set up "in honour of my mum".

"We are a grant-giving charity so we are all about fundraising and then giving money out to on-the-ground charities that actually do the work to prevent suicide," he said.

The mother-of-three was married to Owen Paterson, the former Conservative MP for North Shropshire, for 40 years.

Felix Paterson went on 12 runs of four miles every four hours

Owen Paterson previously spoke of the family's "extraordinary anguish" following her death.

Felix said the family had established The Rose Paterson Trust "in the hope of stopping other people from dying by suicide".

"She was an amazing person who I think about every waking hour," he told supporters on his JustGiving page.

He had little experience of running before starting training but had been considering the long run for a while.

Felix said he hoped the run would also help raise awareness about mental health.

"I think part of it is that it is a challenge that was mind over matter," he said.

"It's all about your mental state and so it seemed like an appropriate one for a mental health charity like ours."

Mr Paterson stuck to several different routes near where he lives in London.

"The solo runs in the middle of the night were really difficult," he said, adding he stuck to well-lit roads.

He said "everything hurt more" and he had felt quite lonely during two runs on the first night.

The 36-year-old said he had been helped by friends and his "family all rallied round".

"They were helping me put plasters on, eat some food and stay hydrated," he said.

Afterwards he said felt pleased he had completed it.

"I'm sore. My legs hurt quite a lot," he said. "My feet are covered in blisters. But I feel good."

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