Fundraising takes off for running duo
18 May 2026
Fundraisers Rich (left) and Rob.
Two Birmingham Airport based officers have embarked on a marathon effort to boost the funds of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and raise awareness of the impact of the disease.
Rich Bird and Rob Fletcher decided to run three half marathons, plus an eight-mile fun run, to raise money for the charity after former colleague Steve Knight was diagnosed with MND. Steve served as an officer with the Force for 30 years and retired around 10 years ago.
The duo have already overtaken their £1,000 fundraising total, with their JustGiving page attracting £3,500 in donations to date.
“We are both keen runners who have run multiple half marathons before but personally the last one I had run was in 2017. However, Rob is a show off who still runs regularly, and he has even run at least one full one, which is something I have never done,” said Rich, who has been with the Force for nearly 28 years.
Training
“I started running regularly about 15 years ago and have run a number of half marathons, but I have not run regularly for about five years. Rob is a keen runner and even represents the Force at running. The run for me is purely to raise money for, and awareness of, MND.
“I have been following a training programme which started in the dark, cold nights of February but the training has been a breeze for Rob.”
Rich and Rob, who has been with the Force since 2004, took part in the first of the three half marathons in Magaluf on 18 April.
“The run went really well, despite the 25 degrees heat. We both ran respectably. I completed the distance in 1hr 53 and Rob 1hr 57. Then just over two weeks later we both improved our times in the Birmingham Half Marathon – I did it in 1hr 50 and Rob did it in 1 hr 53,” says Rich.
Campaign
Their next event is the Sutton Coldfield eight-mile fun run on 31 May and then they will complete their challenge by taking part in the Black Country Marathon on 4 July which is run alongside the canals from Wolverhampton to central Birmingham finishing in Brindley Place for a well-deserved beer.
While he may not have done as much distance running as Rob, Rich has some fundraising experience. In July last year, he joined a national campaign to raise money for MND, running a 100km in July, raising nearly £3,000 and a charity golf day in October 2024 also raised another £2,000 for Steve.
In addition to Rich and Rob’s fundraising drive, Steve’s son, Daniel, is also taking part in an Iron Man competition in September and has already raised more than £9,000. Steve and his wife Sam have three other children – Philip, Rebekah and Leah.
Rich and Rob just want to do all they can to support the family and boost the funds of the MNDA.
“The fundraising is going well, better than I expected to be honest. Now that we have beaten our target we just want to raise as much as we possibly can for MNDA, which is such a deserving cause since the charity does so much to support Steve and his family and others affected by this awful disease,” Rich adds.
