On Sunday 21st April 2024 I am running the London Marathon for Hospice UK. It will be my first, and very probably only marathon, so please give generously!

I am running in memory of my big Brother Tom, who died in the Primrose Hospice in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire in January 2016. It was 2 weeks after his 40th birthday, and the Marathon will take place 2 weeks before my own 40th birthday in May 2024. So it was now or never!

Losing our brother, my parents’ eldest son, and Phoebe’s dad at such a young age was unbelievably traumatic. My eldest son was 3 months old, my sister was pregnant, Phoebe was not yet a teenager. It shouldn’t have happened, but the one thing that made it more bearable was the love and care he received at the Primrose Hospice. His place there allowed us as his family, and his many friends and devoted colleagues from Kidderminster Hospital, to visit him, laugh with him, eat and drink with him, and just be a part of his final days knowing he was safe, cared for and excellently looked after. We didn’t have to worry about providing that care ourselves, and that was an incredible weight off our shoulders. 

There was a collection for the Primrose Hospice at Tom’s funeral so they have benefited directly already, and now I hope I can raise as much as possible for the national Hospice UK Charity, who support individual hospices to provide an invaluable service for whoever needs it, and I hope you can dig deep to support them as I take on my biggest challenge, for Tommy. Thank you. 

Hospice UK is the national charity working with the government and NHS to ensure our 200+ local hospices can survive and thrive in these challenging financial times. Hospice UK is there for children, adults and families going through death, dying, and grief.Currently, one in four UK families can’t get the care they need and deserve when their loved one is dying. This needs to change. It takes £3 million every single day to keep our local hospices open; two-thirds of this comes from individuals donations, including sponsoring people like me taking on challenges!Please sponsor my marathon and help me hit my target! Together we can make sure everyone affected by death, dying and grief gets the care they need, when they need it.