A chartered financial planner is running the Manchester Marathon to support a money literacy charity -just 14 months after surgery to repair the main ligaments in his left knee.
Eddy Ainley, 28, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial meniscus while playing hooker for fourth-tier rugby league side Siddal, near Halifax, West Yorkshire.
After an operation in February 2025, Eddy, who lives in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, and works at Depledge Strategic Wealth Management in nearby Trafford Park, optimistically booked his spot in the Manchester Marathon as a target to help his rehab and recovery.
“I wanted the challenge and to set myself a goal after surgery,” said Eddy, who is doing the run to raise funds for Money Ready, the financial literacy charity.
“It was a bad injury. Three or four months after the op, I was really struggling to walk, let alone run. I was very doubtful whether I’d ever be on the Manchester Marathon start line on Sunday, April 19, but I stuck to the recovery plan, and the following six months of training have gone well.
“As you’d expect from a financial planner, I’m doing this to support Money Ready, which helps people to become financially literate – people who might not otherwise have access to financial planning expertise.”
Only 8.6% of the UK population received advice on investments, pensions or retirement planning in the past year, according to a 2025 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) survey. Just 32.6% of the UK population is financially literate, compared to 49.8% in Canada and 55.8% in Hong Kong, a 2025 study by the London Foundation of Banking & Finance found.
Eddy, a Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) certified financial planner, added: “We’re not trying to turn everyone into investment experts. Our goal, and the goal of the Money Ready charity, is simply to help get everyone to a good level of understanding on things like saving, budgeting, and other important financial areas.”
Leon Ward, CEO of Money Ready, said: “We are hugely grateful to Eddy for choosing to support Money Ready through such a tremendous challenge. Taking on the Manchester Marathon is no small feat, and every one of those miles represents a step forward for financial education.
“The funds Eddy raises will go directly towards helping more people build the financial fluency they need to thrive. We wish Eddy the very best on April 19th, and we’ll all be cheering him on.”
Depledge Strategic Wealth Management is one of 52 CISI-accredited independent financial planning firms, whose managing director and founder, Andrew Day, is also preparing for a charity fundraiser. On June 20, Andrew, 54, is swimming the 5.25-mile length of Coniston Water in the Lake District to raise money for Lifeshare, the Manchester-based homeless charity.
