Story
UPDATE
Thank you for taking the time to visit our fundraising page. And what a time it is! Difficult to imagine what James would have made of it all, but I imagine his response would have involved a lot of beer, a lot of running, and the usual generous dollop of humour he brought to all aspects of his bright and brilliant life.
To celebrate this brilliant life, a group of us should be travelling to Copenhagen this coming weekend to run or watch the marathon that was next on his list. Instead, lockdown means we will each need to honour James in our own way - whether this be a run, a cycle, a walk, or some home-based challenge putting a spin on the 26.2 marathon theme. We will be sharing our various 'achievements' and raising a virtual toast this Sunday afternoon to celebrate. It's no Danish canals but I hear the weather in Zoom is lovely this time of year!
This is a difficult time for us all, but it is an especially difficult time for Royal Trinity Hospice.
The scale of the coronavirus crisis and the impact it's having on charities like Trinity - which rely on the generosity of donations to keep going - is unprecedented. Trinity's 32 charity shops are currently closed. All fundraising events have been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable future. Because of this, it is expecting a shortfall of £3m in funding over the next three months. In the hospice's 129-year history, it has never faced such a severe challenge.
So we really appreciate anything you can give, anything at all. And if you can't give right now, please join us in raising a glass this Sunday in memory of the great and much-missed James. Thank you x
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On the 17th of May this year, James’ friends, family, fellow fitness fanatics and ferocious fundraising warriors will be taking the streets of Copenhagen as we run, walk, laugh and crawl our way round 26.2 miles in memory of a brilliant man.
Our story begins in 2015 when James, aged 54, ran his first marathon in London with his mate Gary. The pair went on to run a further five marathons together, and one each individually. They would travel all over, scouting out the best runs (and restaurants, it would seem) they could find. Their passion for running, and for the post-race merriments which always seemed to follow, took them to Brighton, Berlin, Paris, San Sebastien and Rome.
James and Gary had discussed Copenhagen as their next marathon venue for 2020 but, sadly, in August 2019 James suddenly fell ill and was thereafter wonderfully cared for at Trinity Hospice. So, to honour James and to thank Trinity, a large group of friends and family will be heading for Copenhagen this May to run or support the marathon and raise funds for Trinity.
So far, more than twenty of us have signed up, but it’s not too late to register! As a family friend who has, in her own words, ‘no interest or experience in running’ puts it, just think how much fun James would be having at the thought of us non-runners getting up off our arses to run a whole 26.2 miles! He’d be positively giddy with glee. So, in the sly chance I can tempt you, here is the registration page for the 41st annual Copenhagen marathon… https://copenhagenmarathon.dk/en/29566-2/ And if you don’t fancy the run, there’s plenty of spaces still open to join our support team!
We would really appreciate anything you can give to help raise funds for this incredible place. The care at Trinity is as much about living as it is about dying, and about helping patients make the best of every moment they have. The hospice has been and continues to be an invaluable place of support for James’ family and friends, and we are so grateful for everything Trinity has done for our family.
James will always be in our thoughts and hearts, and will be with us in spirit as we run, support and raise money for Trinity Hospice.
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