On May 26th 2024 I shall be running the Manchester half marathon in memory of my brave and courageous friend, also named Jade, who passed away last year of a terminal brain tumour aged just 34.

Although I have spent many years jogging I have never surpassed 10km, so this run will be somewhat of a challenge for me. Training has begun and I am hopeful that I will complete the full 13 miles without the need to stop and within a reasonable time. 💪 🏃‍♀️

During the final 4 months of Jade's life she was cared for at St Anns hospice in Heald Green. I visited her there on many occasions, each time I was there I was given a warm welcome by the caring and selfless staff, who arguably have one of the hardest jobs in the world.

I know Jades family also echo my feelings in that they felt that St Anns were intricate in making the final months of Jade's life as comfortable and as dignified as possible.

St Anns have been raising money for some time in order to build a new, bigger, purpose built facility to enhance the palliative care they can continue to offer others . The new build has now begun but theirs still a long way to go to reach the financial total they require in order to complete the build, not to mention the ongoing costs to keep the facility running.

It is for these reasons that I shall be supporting this worthy cause. Most importantly though I wish to do his run in order to commemorate the memory of my special and incredibly brave friend Jade💕