Marathon man’s bid to pay back charity for career boost

A Fakenham man is taking on the London Marathon in a bid to give something back to the charity that helped kick-start his career.

Sam Dack used to work for Fitzroy, an autism and learning difficulties charity based in the town. He worked as part of the residential team, supporting people around the clock.

Mr Dack, 39, is now aiming to raise £3,000 for the charity by fundraising for the April 26 event.

The first-time marathon runner, who is aiming to finish the race in under four hours, said: "I am doing this for the people who have the challenge of feeding themselves, getting themselves out of bed in the morning, or going down the shops."

During his time at Fitzroy, Mr Dack supported people with daily tasks and helped them to live their lives to the full.

He worked there for 10 years, climbing up the ranks, from a support worker to becoming the manager.

He then became a service manager for supported living firm Dimensions, managing services for people between Norwich and King's Lynn.

Mr Dack said that without the skills gained while working at Fitzroy, he would not have had chance to move onto such a role.

He said: "I don't think I would be where I am now without the investment that Fitzroy made in me."

Having been in the care industry for a decade, Mr Dack then become the performance manager for a team of IT analysts, and now works as a project lead for an out-sourcing company, helping to run projects on the government's behalf.

However, he said that the challenges he had already faced during his time as a carer helped him to adapt quickly.

Mr Dack said: "Managing this service has allowed me to become better at decision making, and my communication skills. I used my time as a manager helping people in need, so now managing figures is easier because of that."

Mr Dack is raising funds at his JustGiving page here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sam-dack1.