Man's 50 mile challenge to boost local station

Jon Aston is a volunteer with the ‘Friends of Wellington Station’ and will be running and walking 50 miles around Telford next month.

To mark his 57th birthday on April 21 he will complete the T50 route – one of the country’s newest long-distance footpath created to celebrate Telford’s 50th anniversary in 2018.

"I am doing the run as an adventure for my birthday and also to raise sponsorship money to buy plants for Wellington station,” said railway enthusiast Jon.

“I have no specific fundraising target but would simply like to collect as much as possible to enable the friends group to buy plants and compost.

“Wellington Station is a special place but needs a bit of love and care to make it a fitting and welcoming gateway to the town and surrounding area. I am pleased to be involved with the friends group who do lots of good work.”

A keen runner and walker who has taken part in 300 marathons and other long-distance events, Jon says the Telford route is a tough one with lots of hills and steep climbs and may take him around 12 hours to complete.

He said: “The T50 trail showcases some of the best of Telford and includes lots of hidden gems that I didn't know existed until I first started walking and running sections of the path."

Friends of Wellington Station received a £42,000 grant from WM Trains last year to develop a secret garden at the station, improve access between the bus and train station, install enhanced signage and display boards signposting visitors to the many walking routes, including the T50, and getting water onto the platforms to help volunteers water plants.

The project is being supported by Telford & Wrekin Council with management and other funding from Wellington Town Council and funding from Love Wellington.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Jon can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/f/plants-for-wellington-station-50-mile-run