Brothers-in-law hope to raise £2000 at Motown themed fundraiser ahead of London Marathon

Joe Crown and his brother-in-law, Declan Moore, are hosting a fundraiser at the Rifle Club, in Goldsmith Avenue, Southsea, as they prepare to run the London Marathon to raise money for two causes – Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and disability charity Scope UK.

The fundraiser on Friday, February 17 will see them host an evening of soul and Motown classics from 7pm, with an aim to raise £2000 for both charities.

Joe, from Southsea, is a resident DJ at Unmade Radio, a community station which recently celebrated its two-year anniversary providing its equipment free of charge, and will be DJing at the event along with several other residents from the station who are keen to support the fundraising.

He said: ‘We’re slowly getting there, we’ve got a raffle with a few little bits lined up, any donations are greatly welcomed. We’re trying to raise as much as possible.’

Joe, 28, previously ran the London Marathon in aid of the Alzheimer's Society and has hosted at least three other fundraisers with the help of Unmade, raising more than £4,000.

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However this year, the animal lover is turning his attention to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Joe said: ‘I ran the marathon in 2021, I finished and I said absolutely never again, and here we are 18 months later – putting myself through hell again!

‘It was definitely harder than I thought it was going to be. I did a little bit of training, but not nearly enough so I’ve learnt my lesson and started training already. I’m a big animal lover, we’ve got rescues in the family, there’s dogs everywhere!’

And 27-year-old Declan, who works at Southern Legion Gym in Hilsea, is looking to direct his fundraising efforts towards a disability charity close to his heart.

Declan said: ‘Running the London Marathon has always been on the bucket list. Scope stood out to me, I do personal training and people and a lot of people I train with have children or family with disabilities.

‘I’m really chuffed, it’s a win-win. A nice thing to do but also a great charity to raise for.’

To support them visit justgiving.com/fundraising/joecrown2023 or justgiving.com/fundraising/declan-moore31.