Hello everyone. I’ve decided to run a marathon (and a half) for charity.

On Sunday 5th October I’ll be running the Chester Marathon. Then, a week later I'm going to try and drag my battered body around the Manchester Half Marathon, all for the fantastic Moya Cole Hospice (previously St Ann's Hospice)

My reasons for this are twofold.

First of all, they are an absolutely incredible organisation and 2025 promises to be one of the most momentous years in their history as they prepare to move from their current 150+ year old building that's no longer fit for purpose into their brand new, state-of-the-art hospice, meaning they can continue caring for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones in a world-class environment.

Since 1971 St Ann’s have provided specialist palliative care for people with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting illnesses, and they also provide support for relatives, carers and friends too. All their services are provided free of charge.

The hospice is a charity and only receives around a third of its funding from the government, meaning they need to raise £20,000 per day just to stay open - I want to do what I can to help them keep doing their amazing work. If you can, please do donate – no amount is too big or too small. Your donation will make a real difference to those who they support.

Secondly, as I mentioned above, from October 1st the name will be changing from St Ann’s Hospice to Moya Cole Hospice, recognising their incredible and inspirational founder Dr Moya Cole, a pioneering woman who conducted ground-breaking cancer research and championed the need for hospice care in the region. My aim is to help spread the word and raise awareness for the new name, hopefully running in newly-branded running kit through the streets of Chester and then Manchester, in front of thousands of supporters just five days after the change.

Thank you for reading, and thank you even more for anything you can donate to the cause.

xx