In April 2026, I will be taking on the challenge of running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for a special cause. In July this year, a close friend of mine passed away after spending her last few weeks in Thames Hospice. Bridie truly was the most incredible person. She was full of life and brought a smile to everyone’s face. Everyone who knew her adored her for her kindness, her sense of fun and the sunshine she brought into our lives. Life really isn’t the same without her.

Running wasn’t Bridie’s ‘thing’ but in May 2024 I managed to persuade her to join a group of staff from work in running the Green Park 10K. We were raising money for another charity close to our hearts, and it was for this reason she agreed to do it. Did she enjoy it? No! But she knew how important this charity was to a friend of ours. It says a lot about the kind of person she was.

Thames Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults in Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire through its 28-bed inpatient unit and in-home services. Its services are free of charge to all those in the community who need vital hospice care but it is only made possible through charitable support. They need to raise £39,000 per day to operate, as only 30% of its costs are funded by the NHS. Any support will help them keep doing the amazing work they do.

I’m not a huge fan of training on these cold, wet days during winter, but I know the motivation of doing this in Bridie’s memory and the amazing cause will spur me on. And I will be taking it step by step…bit by bit.

Thank you so much in advance for donating whatever you can, it really will make a massive difference.