REGINA LALLY, a parishioner at the Oxford Oratory, ran the London Marathon on April 25 to raise funds towards its £5 million Reaffirmation and Renewal appeal, writes Amanda C Dickie.
The Church of St Aloysious in Oxford is being restored to its Victorian splendour and a new chapel is to be built which will be the first dedicated to Cardinal Newman.
Extended accommodation for the growing number of Oratorians is planned, and a library to house Newman’s works and other important manuscripts. The library will be accessible to all. The Chesterton library is also an important part of the redevelopment. The plucky Miss Lally, 30, crossed the finishing line in five hours 36 minutes and was presented with a medal and a T-shirt with the slogan LonDONE.
“It was an amazing experience,” she said. “The crowd cheered me on and called out my name.” Miss Lally works for the NHS and had to travel to Liverpool two hours after completing the run for a conference beginning on the Monday morning. “My legs and thighs are really aching,” she said, cheerfully. “But I’m lucky to have only one blister.”