Yoni, Giordan & Billy’s Royal Parks Half Marathon

Our story

On Sunday 11 October 2026, the three of us, Yoni Cohen, Giordan Boston and Billy Goldsmith, will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon together for The Andy Sarsby Foundation.

The foundation was created in loving memory of our dear friend Andy Sarsby, who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2019 at the age of just 27 and tragically passed away in December that year.

Andy was an incredible, inspirational and charitable person who was constantly looking for ways to help people. He was a top man, a proper gent, with a very quick sense of humour, ridiculous charm and an ability to light up every room he walked into.

By day, Andy was a talented and much-loved hairdresser. In his free time, he created a charity called Hair Unite, ran the London Marathon, cut hair for people experiencing homelessness and always found ways to make life a little brighter for anyone who was struggling.

He also lived life to the absolute maximum. We went away together, laughed constantly and played countless hours of FIFA until the sun came up, or until one of us finally admitted the other was better. We rarely reached an agreement on that. His only major character flaw was supporting Watford FC.

Even throughout the six months Andy spent in hospital, he had an extraordinary way of making everyone else feel welcome, almost as though he was hosting us at his own place. He knew the staff like they were his friends and family, and if they had not already been charmed by him, they certainly were after meeting him.

During his treatment, Andy spoke constantly about helping other people facing cancer and homelessness. He was not able to fulfil those plans in the way he dreamed of, so the foundation is continuing that work in his name.

Why we are running

Yoni has run two half marathons for Andy over the past two years, raising an unbelievable £2,283 in 2024 and £2,010 in 2025. That is £4,293 already donated to the foundation, thanks entirely to the generosity of friends, family and supporters.

This year, it felt right to do it together.
Giordan knew Andy for most of his life and will be running in memory of a lifelong friend.

Giord was first introduced to Andy in the early days of Ebor Eagles FC and it's fair to say passion was his biggest attribute on the football pitch. Like everything else in his life, he always gave it his all. As we grew up, the early Sunday mornings were traded in for late Saturday nights and he was exactly the same then too, all in, every time. Andy was one of the most special people I've known and he was taken from us far too soon.

Billy never had the chance to meet Andy, but he has become one of Yoni’s closest friends over the past four years. They regularly run together, and after hearing so much about Andy and the foundation, Billy has committed to taking on his first-ever half marathon alongside us.

Our combined target is £1,000. We would be incredibly grateful for anything you can give, no matter the amount. Every donation will help the foundation continue the work Andy cared so deeply about.

What the foundation does

The Andy Sarsby Foundation helps ease everyday life for young people navigating cancer and homelessness. Thanks to its supporters, it has now raised more than £250,000.
Its work has included:

• Building an ongoing partnership with the Haematology Cancer Care team at UCLH
• Supporting hospital projects including exercise bikes, VR headsets, creative workshops, a patient snack trolley and improvements to the hospital garden
• Continuing to provide lollipops to help cancer patients with the unpleasant taste left by treatment
• Supporting people experiencing homelessness with essentials, tents, haircuts and other treatments
• Hosting a recent “Barber Q”, where nearly 60 shelter residents received haircuts and enjoyed an evening together
• Helping struggling families access essentials and shopping trolleys, making it easier to transport affordable food home
• Helping other charities reduce the cost of everyday supplies through access to wholesale purchasing

Running 13.1 miles is a challenge, but it is nothing compared with what Andy faced and the courage with which he faced it.

Thank you for reading, donating, sharing the page or supporting us on the day. We are incredibly proud to run together, keep Andy’s name alive and help the foundation continue the remarkable legacy he left behind.

Sending you and yours love and positive energy, always ❤️