Some of Barbara’s family and close friends are running either the Bristol 10K or the Bristol half marathon on the 19th September, in memory of Barbara and to raise money for St Peter’s Hospice. 

St Peter’s Hospice looked after Barbara in her final weeks, not just through the time she spent there but also helping her to stay at home for as long as possible with dedicated nurses and support. The care she received was wonderful; kind, gentle and respectful. St Peter’s Hospice’s funding has really suffered during the pandemic but you wouldn’t have known this from the level of care that Barbara received. St Peter’s gave Barbara support and security, and helped her feel safe and comfortable, always there to answer her questions or give her advice. When she was in the hospice, there was always a friendly face popping round to check on her, someone to listen to her and make sure she was comfortable. They let Barbara’s family spend as much time as possible with her, even as the country went into lockdown. We were so grateful for them. 

So, we felt that the very least we could do was put on our running shoes and get out pounding the Bristol streets in order to raise money. For some of us, this is a big deal, having had a baby since we last ran regularly, or never really ran at all, or just got out of practise over the past year. For all of us, we are running it because we loved Barbara and want to do something in her name. If you can share a few pennies to sponsor us we would all be so grateful, and we know Barbara would have been so happy to raise money for such a good cause. She would definitely have been on the sidelines, cheering us on.

From Ellie, Adam, Josh, Kirsty, Elsie, Chris, Cat and Alison x

A bit of info about St Peter’s: 

St Peter's Hospice is Bristol's ONLY adult hospice caring for local people with life-limiting illnesses. Our commitment is to improve the quality of life of patients while extending care and support to their families and loved ones. All of our care is provided free of charge, but it costs us around £20,000 a day to provide that care. For most of this money we rely on Gifts in Wills, donations, fundraising and our shops.