This weekend sees a raft of enthusiastic toy industry professionals ditch their business attire for shorts and race bibs, as the iconic London Marathon takes place on Sunday. 

Jen and Paul at a previous running event, the Leeds Half Marathon

Jen and Paul Heathcote, A.B.Gee’s buyer and site manager respectively, are running the London Marathon this weekend to raise much-needed funds for the charity Hear Together. A local charity to A.B.Gee, which is also based in the midlands, Hear Together works with children and adults with any type of hearing loss, supporting them to develop the confidence, skills and knowledge they need to communicate, participate and thrive.

“We have always been passionate about helping others and wanted to use our love for running (well, Jen’s love for running!) to make a difference,” explains Paul. “When we learnt about Hear Together and the important work it does, we knew we had to get involved. Growing up, we were fortunate enough to have access to excellent education and support services. We can only imagine how difficult it must be for deaf individuals to navigate the world without access to these resources.”

A spokesperson for A.B.Gee told Toy World: “All the team at A.B.Gee thinks Jen and Paul are amazing and wish them the very best of luck.”

Readers who would like to help Jen and Paul reach (or surpass) their £2,000 fundraising goal can do so by clicking here.