Tim Wheeler, 62, a magistrate and former headteacher of Stockport Grammar School, will participate in this year’s adidas Manchester Marathon dressed as his superhero alter-ego ‘Scissorman’, in a bid to raise awareness for the Little Princess Trust.

He will tackle the event with a pair of giant scissors strapped to his back, reflecting the charity’s ongoing mission to provide wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

Tim, who has been Chair of the Little Princess Trust since 2011, originally became involved with the charity in his role as headteacher at a former school. The charity was established by the parents of pupil Hannah Tarplee, who tragically passed away in 2005 after being diagnosed with cancer.

Speaking on his involvement with the charity, Tim says: “Hannah’s parents saw how hard she found losing her hair during her treatment sessions. The charity was launched in her memory and has been providing real hair wigs for children ever since.

“I became Chair of Trustees in 2011. It has always been a challenge to ensure that everyone who could benefit from the charity knows that a free wig is available. Scissorman was born to help raise further the profile of the charity.

“As a headteacher, it was also a way for me to inspire children to take on new challenges and develop resilience.”

Whilst this will be his 8th adidas Manchester Marathon as Scissorman, Tim has participated in a range of marathons across the UK. He even completed a marathon in his own back garden during lockdown!

For Tim, the upcoming adidas Manchester Marathon constitutes a milestone 15th marathon as Scissorman. On the day itself, Tim will be cheered on by his wife and is looking forward to making the most of the atmosphere.

“I think of the adidas Manchester Marathon as my local run, and it’s such a great event. The support is always incredible and, being a looped course, I get to see everyone on the way there and again on the way back.

“The amount of encouragement I get is fantastic – the costume weighs over 10kg and provides quite a lot of wind resistance and so any encouragement, particularly towards the end of the race, is very welcome. There’s such an electric atmosphere around the course, and I have some great conversations about the charity along the way!”

To best prepare for the event, Tim is making the most of the colder weather. “Training in winter brings an opportunity to check over my costume to make sure everything is in good condition and looking smart.

My motivation is the incredible work which the Little Princess Trust does – the charity has now provided over 15000 wigs. Running a marathon in a heavy awkward costume is not easy, but this certainly keeps me going!”

Speaking on his fundraising efforts, Tim said: “Over the years, I have been fortunate to raise thousands of pounds for the charity. Fundraising inevitably becomes more difficult with repeated events, so I focus more on raising the charity’s profile now.

I invariably have some great conversations with other runners before, during and after the event and each conversation means someone else knows more about the work of the charity and what we provide.

“Our aim is to ensure that we reach every child and young person undergoing cancer treatment who needs a wig and so anything I can do to help with that makes it all worthwhile.

“Although running in the costume is quite an effort, I do manage to have a lot of fun, particularly engaging with the crowd and it is also my aim to put a smile on people’s faces. I am a firm believer in the power of a smile: we can all benefit from some positivity.”

 

To donate to Tim’s mission, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/scissorman-aka-tim-wheeler-1700689821048

For more information on the adidas Manchester Marathon 2024, please visit www.manchestermarathon.co.uk.

For press enquiries, please contact manchestermarathon@thephagroup.com.