Darren Hart is the longest serving member of staff for the island-based charity, which manages around half of the Isles of Scilly, including maintaining all the coastal paths on four of the inhabited islands, as well as vast areas of heathland, wetland, grassland and woodland for wildlife. He was one of just 24 participants who completed the race (out of the 64 people who took part) raising an impressive £2,700 in sponsorship for the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. Lead organiser of the Scilly60, Wez Swain, also supported the Trust with a donation of £500, taking the total to over £3,200.
Darren’s training for the endurance event took around six months, including running 830km around the islands. He chose to fundraise for the Trust because of his close personal connection to the islands, as well as his love for local wildlife.
Darren said, “It looked like a challenge, so much so that I thought it would be rude not to enter and ultimately tick it off my bucket list. I’ve never run long distances before – a half marathon in 1998 was the furthest I had run before my training began. I did think I would run a marathon first, but no, I went all in for the ultra-marathon first – 60km in one day! I can’t believe I completed it and that so many people backed me through sponsorship and support.”
Darren continued, “The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust is a tiny charity with a huge job. This remote archipelago is one of the most designated places in the UK, home to nationally important populations of seabirds, rare plants and providing a fuelling stop for rare migrating birds each year. The reason I came to Scilly was to work for the Trust 14 years ago as a Ranger. I’m still here and raising money for this great charity not just because of the natural beauty of the islands, but also because of the great work the charity does to keep Scilly special.”
The race started on Tresco, before moving to St Martin’s, St Mary’s, St Agnes and Gugh and Bryher, before a triumphant finish back on Tresco, and lasted for over seven hours, plus sailing time. St Mary’s Boatmen Association were responsible for ferrying participants between the islands; the boat was scheduled to leave at a certain time, so participants who didn’t cross all five finish lines within the allotted time were automatically disqualified.
The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust would like to extend its huge thanks to the organisers of the event for raising awareness of our charity and the work we do across the islands, and congratulations to everyone who took part.