Mum vows to raise thousands for a life-changing dog named in her son’s memory

THEY had dreamed of running together through one of the world’s most famous cities.

Aspiring firefighter Olly Gellett and his mum Anne Yendell decided four years ago that they would one day fly the 3,441 miles to the United States to take part in the New York Marathon and raise cash to help others.

But in March Olly suddenly died of swine flu.

The 22-year-old lifeguard and keen amateur sports player fell ill on Mother’s Day with what he thought was a heavy cold.

The otherwise healthy youngster, who volunteered with the Portsmouth and Southsea Voluntary Lifeguards, put up with the illness and even continued going to work at Michael Kors luxury accessories shop in Gunwharf Quays where he was a stock keeper.

But four days later Anne found Olly unconscious at their Southsea home and despite their best efforts, paramedics were unable to revive him. The cause of his death was later discovered in a post-mortem.
Now the mum-of-two has vowed to keep his memory alive.

She will complete their dream marathon on her own as she marks what would have been his 23rd birthday.

Anne will run 26.2 miles through the streets of New York, through the famous Central Park and past landmarks including the Guggenheim Museum as she is cheered on by her daughter Alice, 26, and thousands of onlookers.

Anne hopes her feat will raise enough money to provide a disabled person with a special life-changing assistance dog named after Olly.

The puppy will be trained by charity Canine Partners to carry out a range of everyday tasks including opening doors, unloading washing machines and dressing and undressing a person.

It will then go on to transform the life of a disabled person who it will be paired with.

Anne, who works at the charity, chose the cause to reflect Olly’s love of helping people.

The former South Downs College outdoor activities student spent his free time helping to keep people safe in the Solent while also working on becoming a firefighter – a job he had hoped to get since he watched the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on television when he was just eight-years-old.

And he was close to reaching his ambition – days after he died the former Spingfield Schoolboy received an email inviting him to an interview at the fire station serving Southampton Airport in Eastleigh.

Now Anne, Alice, Anne’s brother Pete Yendell, Olly’s best friend Keiran Thorpe and his mum Sara Thorpe will pay their respects at the 9/11 Memorial Gardens on his birthday on November 4 – two days before the marathon.

Anne, 54, fundraising director at Canine Partners and keen marathon runner, said: “Olly, Alice and I had always dreamt of running the marathon together.

“Now, as a way of focussing on my grieving, I have been running a lot so I decided I would do the marathon we had always talked about doing as it’s around his birthday.

“It’ll also be poignant as Olly worked at Camp America in New York for three seasons and he spent a lot of time in the city.

“He always helped others and I think he would absolutely love that there is going to be an assistance dog named after him.

“It’s amazing how many people’s lives he touched. I’m flabbergasted at how popular he was and how much he cared for people.

“He would think I’m completely mad for actually going ahead with the marathon and ask why I would sign up to run 26 miles but I think he would have loved the opportunity to come and support me.

“Doing the marathon will be about making the most of life and that’s what we do at Canine Partners. In some way, by doing the marathon can do something for Olly and help other people.

“The best bit will be celebrating Olly, his life and his achievements of which I’m extremely proud, but the worst bit will be that he’s not there by my side.”

Anne, who worked at Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville for nine years before joining Canine Partners in 2015, has smashed her initial fundraising target of £5,000.

The money will enable her to sponsor a puppy, named Olly, during its initial training but she hopes to raise another £15,000 to fund the dog throughout its entire partnership with a disabled person.

To support Anne with her fundraising challenge visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Anne-Yendell3.
For more information about Canine Partners visit caninepartners.org.uk.