Hospices are more than just a place to die - they offer palliative care, specialist pain relief and bereavement support that you can’t get in a hospital. And they don't only support the dying but their friends and family as well. I know that my experience and memory of losing my dad to a complicated illness could have been very different without the space and expertise of a hospice environment.

Hospices are hugely under threat across the UK as the government has neglected their funding and they largely depend on charitable fundraising. No other major part of the healthcare system really runs like this and it isn't good enough. 8 out of 10 are in the red financially and there’s a shortage of 3,500 palliative care nurses, meaning thousands don’t get the help they need at the end of their lives. 

I’m kicking off with my first ever (!) half marathon on the 1st March in London and I’ll be ending with another in very hilly Merthyr Tydfil. In between I'll cover the leftover 25.8 miles at some locations that remind me of Sam. 

So send me some cash if you can and get to know your local hospice - they almost certainly need your help. They’re a part of the health system we struggle to think about but getting the right end of life care is so important. You only die once, YODO amirite?! xxx