"What Do You Mean This Isn't Newcastle?" Reh Chishti Hits Bournemouth

On the very same day Paul Foster was insensitively insulting the gay, disabled and ethnic population of the Medway Towns, Cllr Reh Chishti was in Newcastle preparing the 13.1 mile slogathon that is the Great North Run.

I know he was there. He'd said he be there and I believed him. I'd even seen him in the papers decked out in running gear because he wanted to raise money for alley-gates* in his Gillingham North ward and the Red Cross. Very commendable and not a publicity stunt I'm sure. No one would raise over £1000 in sponsorship and not run unless they had a very valid reason.

An injury after all that hard training would be heart breaking, wouldn't it Reh?

"I injured my foot training so I was not comfortable doing a run," a clearly devastated Cllr Chishti said.

What better way is there to convalesce than to take in some Bournemouth sea air - only 356 miles south of Newcastle. And what luck for a newly selected Conservative A-lister - it's first day of Tory conference.

According to The Medway Standard Cllr Chishti will be paying for the alley-gating out of his ward improvement grant after failing to compete in the race. However, The Medway Messenger has this quote from the man himself: "I decided to put £1000 out of my own pocket to match what I would have raised if I competed. I split that between my ward and the Red Cross."

I'm sure the residents of Grange Road, Rosemary Road and Maple Road don't care where the money comes from as long as Cllr Chishti keeps his promise this time and supplies them the alley-gates they want.

* I would like to point out it was Cllr Chishti's Tory colleagues that cut the funding for alley-gates a few years ago.