Shrewsbury Mayor Attends Thank-You Event for a Special Fundraiser, James Morgan
Shropshire Mental Health Support hosted an afternoon tea to thank James Morgan and the staff, volunteers, and friends who supported him during his 24-hour run on 20th – 21st June 2026.
James ran over 102 miles during his epic challenge and raised over £2,600 for the charity. To say thank you to James and to those who supported him, Shropshire Mental Health Support hosted an afternoon tea and invited the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick, to attend. Shropshire Mental Health Support is one of the mayor’s chosen charities this year.
The Mayor of Shrewsbury presented James with a framed certificate and a picture of him crossing the finish line. A special thank-you certificate was given to Paul Aston, who ran over 40 miles with James mostly through the night, so James wasn’t alone and to Maree Cottrell, who staffed the wellbeing van overnight.
The Mayor of Shrewsbury said, “Thank you to Shropshire Mental Health Support for inviting me to celebrate James Morgan and his fantastic endurance challenge. It was an opportunity to thank all those involved in the challenge, including the staff and volunteers who staffed the Wellbeing Vehicle for 24 hours, which doubled as a base for James during the run.
“Let us remember that physical exercise, activities and sports are so important for improving and maintaining both physical and mental wellbeing, particularly in the beautiful setting of Shrewsbury’s Quarry, its jewel in the crown.
“Having made the journey from coach to 5k myself, in my 70’s and have now completed over 25 Parkruns, I can wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend those wanting to improve their exercise to join their local Parkrun, which takes place every Saturday morning at 09:00, all over the world, and helps to build fitness, wellbeing, community spirit and a feeling of togetherness, in a world of increasing loneliness, isolation in ourselves, family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.”
Heather Ireland said, “We were honoured to be joined by the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick, to enjoy an afternoon tea to celebrate the amazing achievement of James Morgan, who completed his epic 24-hour run on Saturday 21 June and raised over £2600 for our charity. James ran over 100 miles and, most importantly, shared his message of hope and resilience around overcoming mental health challenges. We wanted to bring everyone together who helped make this possible and say a massive thank you.
“Something very inspiring happened during this challenge: hearing about several strangers who saw the posts on social media join James for part of the run. Seeing strangers give up their time to join someone on an epic challenge is heartwarming and speaks to how inspiring James is.”
The JustGiving page is still open for you to donate to James’s run: https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-morgan-7?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=021