In Memory of Allyson Kent - “Yes I can”
Tue 5th November 2024
Two years ago, the 5K Your Way group came into Beverley Westwood parkrun lives. With them was Allyson Kent. Many of you will know Allyson from her tireless energy in promoting this super wellbeing charity in the local area.
We were so saddened to learn that our lovely Allyson passed away peacefully on the parkrun morning of 19th October 2024. Fittingly the fact that if it was going to happen on any day in the week, Allyson was going to do it on her own terms and wait for parkrun day.
Allyson began walking every day after her Cancer diagnosis, she used this time to clear her head but also, she benefited from the fact that exercise helps to reduce the side effects from treatments.
This benefit is why she, and the 5K Your Way team, wanted to bring their movement to Beverley Westwood parkrun. For us at BWp it was a no brainer and we welcomed them in September 2022.
5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer, is a community-based initiative to encourage those living with and beyond cancer, their families, friends and those working in cancer services to walk, jog, run, cheer or volunteer at a local 5k Your Way parkrun event.
Initially, Allyson planned to run with the 5K Your Way group on the last Saturday of every month, but she soon found that she actually loved being part of the BWp community so she started running / walking with us most weeks. She found another place where she belonged. Allyson completed 84 parkruns in total of which 64 she did with us at Beverley.
I think the word inspirational is often used too easily but with Allyson it is the most perfect word. You only had to look at her to want to smile along too.
There were so many pictures to choose from for this article and in every single one she is smiling. I do think she will be long remembered for her positivity, her encouragement to others, her tenacity, but most of all, for her joy of living life to the full, no matter what it throws at you.
Allyson started her own charity working with Rachel Alexander. ‘Yes I Can’ offers courses based on the principles and learning from ‘Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway’ written by Susan Jeffers. Ever the positive person, Allyson took her own lived experiences to help those around her.
The charity aims to bring together people affected by cancer, to help them acknowledge their fears, understand what is happening and to address what they can do. They are providing the tools and strategies for managing the many challenges people will face.
Allyson wrote recently “I have always said; live a life with no regrets, but I do have one, I wish I'd found parkrun earlier in my life. It took a cancer diagnosis for me to find the joy in running. “
For me there should be no regret. She found parkrun, she promoted parkrun, she was a superb advocate for the difference parkrun makes to people's lives.
Allyson may have left us but she certainly will not be forgotten. She will be watching from above with her smile to keep us all smiling, running or walking too!
https://www.moveagainstcancer.org/5k-your-way
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/beverleywestwood
