Laura Bird becomes Rays of Sunshine ambassador, after being first woman to complete London Marathon carrying a fridge on her back

Rays of Sunshine is delighted to announce that Laura Bird – the “Fridge Runner” – has been named as a Special Ambassador for the charity, months after raising thousands of pounds in her historic London Marathon!

Laura ran the 26.2 mile course in the capital with a full-sized fridge on her back back in April. No stranger to pushing her limits, she has often completed marathons and Iron Woman competitions in the past, and was even featured on Channel 4’s SAS Who Dares Wins. She was first inspired to take on the challenge of running the iconic London Marathon with a 25kg fridge on her back after seeing Rays of Sunshine’s cheer points at a previous marathon.  

“The bright yellow flag was something I just couldn’t ignore,” says Laura.  

Through her incredible campaign of fundraising, Laura raised more than £15,000 to help Rays of Sunshine grant more magical wishes to seriously ill children. This could fund up to 10 life-changing wishes! Her efforts were spotlighted in several national newspapers, and she became a local celebrity in her town with people recognising her iconic yellow fridge while she was out training.  

“So many people came along with me for the wild ride,” says Laura. “From the minute I took the fridge out for about 200 meters and thought, ‘oh my goodness, we’ve got a big journey ahead,’ to the minute I crossed that line, I was never going to give up. And it was the huge community of people we gathered that kept me going.” 

Wanting to honour her amazing commitment to their mission, Rays of Sunshine has officially recognised Laura as an ambassador for the charity. Laura says it is an honour to be a part of the family once more.  

“Running the marathon with a fridge on my back isn’t nearly as impressive as the strength these children show every day, living with their illnesses,” says Laura. “To be a part of a charity which champions these children and spreads so much positivity in the world is a true honour.” 

Dan Assor, CEO of Rays of Sunshine, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Laura as our new ambassador, and look forward to working with her more in the future to spread awareness of the work we do.  

“Laura’s passion for our mission to brighten the lives of seriously ill children in the UK was evident throughout her London Marathon journey, and we couldn’t be prouder to have her as part of the Rays of Sunshine team.” 

Laura currently has no plans to replicate her impressive feat at next year’s London Marathon, but says it won’t be long until she is thinking about her next charity challenge. Until then, she is content to stick with playing football with her team, the Cambridge Rangers, and completing five and 10km runs on the weekends, while representing Rays of Sunshine in her community through different outreach and spokesperson opportunities.  

Find out how you can support Rays of Sunshine like Laura: