Team Hatch 2022

Darling Emma Rose led a wonderful life as a beautiful daughter, sister and friend for over 15 very happy years. Her health unexpectedly deteriorated in early 2014 - everyone suspected some form of lung disorder. Eventually this diagnosis was revised, and she was sent for a medical review at GOSH where she suffered sudden and unexpected heart failure. She actually had a dreadful and extremely rare disease called Churg Strauss Syndrome (a form of vasculitis), which unbeknown to anyone, had badly damaged her heart and other organs. For the next 102 days the wonderful surgeons, doctors, and nurses at GOSH across over 30 departments, closely supported by Emma's family and friends, did absolutely everything in their collective power to save, stabilise and give Emma the chance of returning to a normal life. Emma's journey was always at the extremes of medicine and when her own heart could not be saved she was lucky enough to be given a transplant. Emma faced it all with courage and bravery but very sadly lost her battle on 30th May, 2014. The compassion, skill, love and friendship extended to Emma and her family by the staff of GOSH was humbling and the work they do is simply amazing.

Following Emma's untimely death, the Hatchley family set up The Rosebud Appeal as a way of supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital in the areas closest to the treatment Emma received. This appeal raised over £250,000 through a series of runs, events, bridge teas, bike rides, donations and other fundraising initiatives, including Emma's father James (or Hatch), some work colleagues and other friends and relations doing the London Triathlon. That money funded a research project in the area of heart transplantation, vital cardiac home-monitoring equipment for children with cardiac conditions and the appointment of a PHD student to promote research into the genetics of types of vasculitis including Churg Strauss Syndrome which Emma was so unlucky to have. The impact of this fundraising was real and in particular there was material progress made in areas of research which directly benefited children with forms of vasculitis.

One of these fundraising themes developed a life of its own and Team Hatch, a full on Triathlon squad, was born as a group of likeminded souls led of course by Hatch! The Triathlon team has continued to grow and the Triathlon challenges have grown longer. Even the half Ironman distance twelve of the team completed in Lisbon in early 2018 wasn't enough and so a team of eight faced up to Challenge Roth, a full Ironman distance race later in that year in Germany. A full Ironman is a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike and a 42.2km marathon run all one after another on the same day, as fast as you can!

The team has grown from a group of those who knew Emma and are close to the Hatchley family, to include others who have been drawn both to the appeal of a longer distance Triathlon challenge and to doing something for Great Ormond Street Hospital, with Emma to inspire them. Some were definitely not athletes when they started (particularly Hatch!) whist others were. It remains a mixed group but some of the athletes and performances are now earning podiums and GB Age Group Accreditation.

Part of the fundraising income raised has been used to provide an oral drug room on Pelican Ward in the Premier Inn Clinical Building, one of the hospitals new buildings. Pelican Ward is a specialist centre for rheumatology, dermatology, infectious diseases and immunology and so having a specialist area in which to prepare and dispense drugs is key. Further funds were allocated to the Charity's highest impact projects in 2018 and 2019. These include the implementation of the electronic patient record system, necessary child and family support initiatives and advancing some of the pioneering research the hospital is famous for. In particular, funds raised by the teams efforts and additional donations from friends and family have enabled research into the genetics of forms of vasculitis to continue. The world leading team at GOSH have seen tangible results so that children with forms of vasculitis have been identified earlier and treated with more specific and innovative treatments. This is what inspires us to continue to fundraise, knowing we are making a real difference to children who have potentially life threating conditions.

The Hatchley family saw this first hand during their time at GOSH with Emma as they stayed near to the ICU in Charity funded accommodation on the hospital site, making it much easier to come and go from her bedside. Emma was treated in a Charity built ward and many of the machines critical to her treatment were funded by charitable donations. In addition, many of the key support systems for those facing life changing situations are now only available if funded outside the NHS this is where the Charity steps in and makes a major impact.

These needs don't ever stop as there are always children who need GOSH and deserve the best they can get. The combined efforts of the Hatchley family, their friends and wider family, and all the members of Team Hatch have already raised over £825,000 which is truly amazing. Now 2022 is upon us and the team is as keen as ever and set for a monster year and will be taking on as many events as possible.

These include:

March 5th - Ironman Dubai 70.3

Known to be a sell-out event annually, the race is fast, flat and the gateway to many a personal best time. This will see Hatch back in action alongside Zack Cooper one of the team resident rockets!

March 13th- Bath Half

Half Marathon in the centre of Bath, a team favourite.

March 19th- Ironman Lanzarote 70.3

On the beautiful Canary Island some of the team will endure a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run.

May 21st - Ironman Lanzarote

Back to Lanzarote a different cohort of the team will go to take on the epic full distance 3.8km swim, 180.2km bike and 26.2km run course. This is the toughest Ironman Race on the European circuit.

June 12th - Outlaw Half Woburn

Team Hatch have partnered with GOSH Charity and professional Triathlete Kimberley Morrison to take on this brilliant event. Taking place at the beautiful Woburn Abbey, the event will cover a 1.2 mile lake swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run in stunning surroundings. Sign up with the team to benefit from fundraising incentives and fantastic training support here:

3rd July Challenge Roth

The worlds biggest long-distance triathlon event and one the team have competed twice before and excited to take it on again with both individual and relay entries.

August 20th - Ironman Kalmar

In one of the biggest events for the team in the year, a strong squad will take on a 2.4m swim into the Kalmar strait and the waters of the Baltic Sea then a 112-mile bike course and finish with a 26.2 mile run along the beach and city centre. The team are hunting podiums in this race!

The team will also be present in various form throughout the Outlaw race series in the UK in addition to a host of half marathons, marathons and cycles on the way too. Finally, some of team will don their GB trisuits and compete at various ITU and ETU events including the ITU World Championship Aquabike and the ETU European Championship Duathlon. It is going to be a BIG year.

Each team athlete is self-funded for race expenses and has an individual funding target to hit for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity as the price for donning the hallowed Team Hatch racing strip. The team continues to be generously supported by Trek in the UK for bikes and Huub for wetsuits, trisuits and other race and cycle clothing. All of the teams best images are taken by the extremely talented @thatcameraman.

The additional funds raised will go in part to continue pushing research boundaries by supporting Professor Paul Brogan and his team, investigating the diagnosis and treatment of serious auto inflammatory conditions such as forms of vasculitis. This area still accounts for 100 new referrals and 300 patients under follow-up care each year in GOSHs rheumatology department and as the Hatchley family sadly knows, there can be devastating results if these conditions are not diagnosed early and treated effectively. Additional funds will go towards continuing the work of the hospital in the areas of patient and family support and also advanced medical equipment not funded by the NHS but critical to world class patient outcomes. The hospital is working towards opening a world leading Cancer Centre and improving the stock of family accommodation so parents can be by their child's bedside at critical points in their journey at GOSH. All of this needs funding which drives the Charity and individuals like the members of Team Hatch.

It sounds ambitious but we are not going to stop until we raise £1million! We are hoping to reach this goal in 2022 and thank you all for your continued support. Those children who are seriously ill need us and we do it all in the memory of our beautiful Emma Rose. We have to think she would be very proud.

Thank you to all of the past and future supporters, friends and family. We couldn't do any of this without you.