Wigan personal trainer completes 24 hour workout to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support

Francesca Thompson, 49, and her clients at PT4U Training in Hindley, have made over £3,500 so far, after undertaking a different form of exercise every hour on the hour.

Each workout was dedicated to a person who has passed away from cancer who was a family member of someone at the gym.

Mrs Thompson said: “People came in to do the workouts that are relevant to them. I’d previously done 16 hours in the past and that was pretty brutal. Loads of members came for the first few sessions.

“I honestly thought I would be on my own all through the night, but people came and camped out with chairs and blankets. Until four in the morning it was quite tough, but after that it got a bit easier.

“The times when we normally do sessions were absolutely packed, with members of the public also just coming to watch.”

Each workout lasted at least 30 minutes, while a Macmillan coffee morning also took place at the gym at the same time.

“We took about £1,000 in cake sales. On Friday night I messaged the person who donated them saying ‘we are going to run out tomorrow,’ so she ended up making another batch in the middle of the night and dropped them off at two in the morning.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t end up eating that much ourselves because there wasn’t time between workouts.”

Prior to the start of the event, Mrs Thompson was already close to hitting her target of £1,000, with online donations alone.

She said: “Macmillan rang me and said they were buzzing because they have never heard of anyone doing anything like this before. I know what we have raised is just a drop in the ocean, but it is more than we wanted, so it is fantastic.

“My auntie passed away from cancer four years ago at the age of 52, leaving six kids behind, which has inspired the whole thing and gave me the idea.

“The last workout was dedicated to her, and it was really emotional.

“Everything went to plan, and we’ve still got more to come. The support was brilliant, and was nice for everyone who did a memorial workout to take part. It was personal for everyone. I couldn’t have wished for it to have gone better.”

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