Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

You've probably heard by now that I'm attempting to run / walk / crawl the Blenheim Palace Half Marathon on 6th October 2013, raising money for the Katherine House Hospice.

For those of you who are not local and may not know, 

Katharine House is located 4 miles south of Banbury and lies on the borders of Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire amidst beautiful gardens where peace and tranquillity prevail. Sheep and cattle graze in the surrounding fields and there are magnificent rural views across the Oxfordshire countryside.

The Hospice building was completed in 1991 and today the specialist palliative care services offered include in patient, day hospice, community care at home, home night nursing, support for patients at the Horton General hospital, out-patients, lymphoedema treatment and bereavement support.

The hospice palliative care service supports those people with life-threatening illnesses whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. The aim is to maintain quality of life and for patients to remain in their own homes where this is possible or requested. Patients can be referred immediately after diagnosis or at a later stage in the illness. The hospice services run alongside other services and staff work closely with general practitioners and other health professionals.

The hospice team comprises a medical team led by a Consultant in Palliative Medicine, a nursing team with specialist palliative care qualifications, other health professionals including physiotherapists, counsellors and chaplains.  There is also non-clinical support staff and a very active fund raising team.  In addition to the paid staff there is an an active volunteer team helping in all areas of the hospice.

All staff and volunteers share a strong commitment to the philosophy of Katharine House which is to care for people and their families by addressing physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs through an individualised approach.

The hospice stands as a living memorial to the life of Katharine Gadsby who in 1984, tragically died of cancer at the age of twenty.  Since the time of her death her parents Neil and Heather Gadsby, together with friends and many other people have worked tirelessly to raise funds to develop the hospice services. It is an independent sector hospice and relies largely on charitable donations for funding, receiving only about 35% of its costs from the local Primary Care Trusts.  No charge is made to patients or their families for any of the care provided.

I have had friends and family who were cared for in Katherine House in the last months of their lives and am erternally grateful for the outstanding compassionate care given them by the staff and volenteers. This is a chance for me to say thankyou and give a little something back.

I've not set a target for fundraising. Any money I can raise will help. But with your donations we can really make a difference to this most worthwhile of causes so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give anything you can - it'll be worth it just to see me suffering through the 13.1 miles!!!

Anyone near Blenheim on 6th October is welcome to come along and laugh at me!

thanks for looking and an even bigger thankyou for donating.

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So please dig deep and donate now.