Serial marathon runner from Eastcote is raising cash to restore historic buildings

A 71-year-old woman is taking on her 16th marathon to help the restoration of Eastcote House Gardens.

Raquel Russel-Ponte has lived in the appropriately named The Chase, Eastcote, for 57 years. Her children Rebecca Esther and James Edward are now grown up but she has fond memories of bringing them up near to the gardens in High Road Eastcote.

“When they were babies they would not sleep at all, they would scream all through the night. I used to take them into the walled garden and somehow that garden always sent them to sleep,” she said.

The walled garden has been maintained and restored by the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens (FEHG) along with Hillingdon Council, which is now raising funds to match a grant given by the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore tudor stables and a dovecot in the site.

FEHG need to contribute £150k, £125k of which will be in volunteer hours, the other £25k in cash. At the moment, the restoration fund stands at just over £14,000.

Mrs Russel-Ponte said: “I love the place and I think what the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens are doing is so important. They get school children involved in planting bulbs and they want to get the whole community into learning the history of the place.

“I am 71 years-old but this is a cause very dear to my heart so I want to raise as much money as I can for them. I feel very strongly that we need to protect these areas for future generations.”

Mrs Russel-Ponte will run in the Paris Marathon on April 6. She has traveled all over the world for races, including in the Swiss Alps and the Great Wall of China, but only took up running when she was 60.

“My children had grown up and left home and I always wanted to raise money for charity,” she explained. “I also wanted to do something for myself and I just discovered I could run.

“I belong to Metros Running Club which meets at Lowlands Tennis Club in Eastcote. They have been hugely supportive of me,” she said.

The super-fit septuagenarian plans to run the 26 miles in four and a half hours matching her London Marathon time, but said: “I will be happy just to finish it.”

All the money Mrs Russel-Ponte raises will go to the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens’ restoration fund. She has already paid the cost of her trip to Paris.

To sponsor Mrs Russel-Ponte and raise money for the restoration fund contact Lesley Crowcroft, chair of the FEHG, by emailing lesley.crowcroft@gmail.com or visit the eastcotehousegardens.weebly.com website to download a sponsor form for Raquel.

If you would prefer to send a cheque to sponsor Raquel make it payable to Friends of Eastcote House Gardens and post to 18 The Chase, Eastcote, HA5 1SL.