In December 2021, my cousin Paula was diagnosed with incurable cancer. Less than 30 days later, on 5th January, she passed away at the age of 50.

Those final days were spent in the excellent care of Weston Hospicecare, who had world-class staff and facilities to make Paula as comfortable as possible. My Aunty Kath was able to stay there too, ensuring she was there for every precious moment, by her daughter's side.

Paula was an animal lover, but loved no animal quite as much as donkeys. She was donkey crazy. She had donkey t-shirts, donkey cuddly toys, her favourite thing in the world was to visit Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary where she had two adopted furry friends. She seemed to have a real emotional connection with these gentle creatures that gave her a sense of calm and happiness.

When Paula received her diagnosis, and she had to move into palliative care, not only did the hospice attend to her medical needs, they also made her time there as special as possible. They pulled some strings and managed to have two local donkeys, Ronnie and Albert, visit the hospice where Paula was staying. Her bed was wheeled out to the garden, where she got to meet the donkeys - and other people staying at the hospice had their day brightened too by the unexpected visitors. 

That's just a small example of the huge difference Weston Hospiceare makes to terminally ill people and their loved ones. But only 20% of their funding comes from the NHS, meaning that they have to raise £4 million each year.

That's why my husband, Tom, and I are running the Manchester Half Marathon. We're not naturally athletic. We only took up running 2 years ago. We like a good pint and a takeaway. Believe me, this won't be a walk in the park for us. But we're doing it for Paula - and everyone who needs and deserves the very best end of life care. I hope you can support us with whatever donation you can afford. We appreciate every penny.

Thank you x