Best friends and Colleagues, Tobey Brain, Henry Ellingham and Jack Hurdiss (all fairly inexperienced runners) will be running the Barcelona Marathon on 10th March 2024, and many many park runs in preparation, to in order to further EY's mission to raise money in aid of Birmingham Children's Hospital.

A charity close to a lot of hearts, most specifically our friend Stephen Wong, a Senior Manager in Tech Consulting. For those unaware, please read Stephens story below...

In May 2021, during lockdown and via a FaceTime call, my 8-month-old daughter, Lily, was unfortunately diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a rare aggressive childhood cancer, which had spread to multiple sites in her small body.

As you can imagine, it’s the type of news which brings a family to their knees, and hearing the words that your child has cancer are ones that will remain etched in our minds forever.

Amongst all the pressures faced by those involved in the care of children at BCH during lockdown, the support and medical care we received was outstanding. Lily fought hard, undertaking multiple chemo treatments, blood transfusions, bone marrow aspirations, general anaesthetics, CT scans and plenty of intravenous medication - through it all she still smiled.

An inspiration every day, Lily is now thankfully in remission and being monitored very regularly. Something that will need to continue for the rest of her life.

Being Lily’s dad is my proudest achievement and it’s the resolve, resilience, and fight, she has shown over the last 12 months which drives me to do everything in my power to raise awareness and fundraise for this brilliant hospital.

It’s why I write this message today; I need your help. I cannot do it alone.

BCH is largely funded by the NHS, but thanks to donations made by people such as yourself, they are equipped with world class and leading-edge technology to treat a range of life-threatening diseases, which are not funded by the NHS.

However, it’s not just the medical equipment and care which is important. Everyday, staff and playworkers ensure these children don’t miss out on being children. There’s games, toys, crafts, activities, and murals on the wards and treatment rooms to make life within a hospital a little less scary and a little more ‘normal’. Finding a reason to smile during the dark times is powerful for both children and their families.

Whilst Lily was under-going treatment, my wife Katie and I had frequent visits and overnight stays in hospital. We experienced first-hand how isolating it can be for patients and their families and just how important the extra fundraising is to make the lived experience a little better.

We appreciate all your support and look forward to the run!