First of all, thank you for taking the time to come to this page to support St Mary’s Catholic Academy’s fundraising efforts for Trinity Hospice.

We would like to give you all a little bit of background as to why we have decided to take part in the Beaverbrooks Blackpool 10k Fun Run on Sunday 11th May.

As many of you know, our lovely Chaplain David Gibson sadly died on Saturday 1st March, surrounded by his family at Trinity Hospice. Dave attended St Mary’s as a student, from 1991 to 1998, so he has always been a huge part of our community and Catholic family. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of just 19. Following his diagnosis, Dave faced multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, and he fought so hard for years after his diagnosis.

Dave’s entire life has been about giving to others. Having qualified as a Science teacher, he worked in a Secondary School in Wakefield for 5 years before deciding to move closer to home and family. With such a strong Catholic faith within him, he was called to continue his work with young people but with a stronger focus on Catholicism; he found his way to Castlerigg Manor in Keswick, working with the Lancaster Youth Service as a Chaplain. St Mary’s students and staff who were on retreat in 2009 met Dave at Castlerigg in his role, and he captured the hearts of all of our students with his stories of battling his brain tumour, and even within the short time we spent at Castlerigg on the 5 day retreat, he inspired so many of our students to face life with resilience and faith. Fate then brought Dave back to St Mary’s when he was appointed as Chaplain, and it was in 2009 that he started his amazing work with our students and staff, selflessly giving to all he worked with.

Having lived comfortably with the benign tumour for 20 years, Dave was given the devastating news in June 2024 that a second, inoperable brain tumour had returned and it was at this point he started receiving the invaluable support of Trinity Hospice. From respite stays and physiotherapy, to emotional support for himself and his family, to his final weeks during which he was loved and cared for by the wonderful palliative team, Trinity Hospice has been an invaluable part of Dave’s final journey, which is why we as a school community feel so compelled to raise as much money for them as possible. All funds raised will allow the Trinity Hospice to continue their vital work in palliative care.

Dave leaves behind his beautiful family, including his son Louis who will be 4 in April and it would mean so much to all of his family, friends, students and colleagues if we could raise a huge amount of money for Trinity Hospice in his memory.

Some of us will run; some of us will race; quite a few of us will drag ourselves down the promenade at the speed of the famous Blackpool trams. But for all of us who take part, we will be ‘Doing it for Dave!’

Please sponsor us and give what you can.

Thank you,

Team St Mary’s