In 2022 my grandfather, Ken Simmonds passed away after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. He spent his final weeks at St Raphael’s Hospice. During this time, I was touched by the care and compassion shown by all those at St Raphael’s who made one of the most difficult times of my family’s life more peaceful knowing that my grandfather was in the best hands possible and able to pass in peace and comfort.

 
My grandfather always taught his grandchildren to never give up or shy away from a challenge. Running 26.2 miles is going to be extremely challenging and feels pretty daunting right now, but running the marathon in his memory means so much to me and I am determined to take on this challenge for him so that others can experience the same care he did.

 
I started running in lockdown 2020 and have tried to keep it up since then, although I don’t consider myself a ‘runner’ and often enjoy running a five or ten kilometre loop around my local area listening to a podcast or blaring out Beyoncé. Running the London Marathon has been on my bucket list for a very long time, but after having no luck entering the ballot for serval years, I am delighted to be awarded a charity place to run for St Raphael’s.

Many Hospices aren’t fully funded by the NHS, St Raphael’s receives 25% of funding from the NHS with the rest of the monies required to run the hospice raised through fundraising so any donation you can give will make a tremendous difference to people who rely on the services provided by the amazing team each and every day.