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Matt Nichols, a close friend of our very own President, Kayleigh Penwill, is running from Urmston (Manchester) to Grasmere (Ambleside) and raising money for St Ann's Hospice, in memory of her rock, her hero - Her Dad, John Penwill.

At the beginning of 2019, John was sadly diagnosed with bowel cancer. After an uphill battle with various treatments, medical appointments and symptoms, he lost his fight to this truly awful disease on Tuesday 17th December 2019.

Kayleigh commented, 'he was my absolute role model - He was funny, he was kind, he was generous, he was stubborn, he could talk for England - and he was competitive - but unfortunately the cancer was too aggressive to manage and as a family, we had to come to terms with the realisation of him not being around in person 'forever'. This was and is, quite honestly, the worst piece of news I have ever had to tackle, whilst trying to be strong for my Mum & Sister'.

St Ann's Hospice have two locations across Greater Manchester; John was admitted in to Heald Green, from Christies at the beginning of November 2019. Albeit not there for a great deal of time, the hospice provided above and beyond care to both John, as the patient, and also the many family members and friends that came to visit.

Kayleigh said, 'watching him deteriorate and become almost of shadow of his former self was heart breaking to watch; the helplessness you feel knowing that you can't do anything or turn back time. There was a quote in his room in the hospice and the words ring true to me : 'The best things in life are the people we love, the places we've seen and the memories we've made along the way' and this is something I have to remind myself of so frequently'.

It was critical to ensure John's final days, weeks, months were as good as could be and St Ann's contributed considerably towards that... They are motivated by providing excellent care and support to those living with or affected by life-limiting illnesses. He enjoyed a Disaronno and cranberry juice from their daily drinks trolley, he enjoyed attending the events they hosted, he look forward to seeing the therapy dog that used to attend on Wednesdays, he could speak forever and a day about football politics and debating whether or not Liverpool would win the league (they did back in 2019/20 and have done it again this season!) - The friendliness and support offered gave John the deserved best quality of life and helped him to maintain his dignity and pride as much as possible right to the very end.

Matt's reason for choosing to do an ultra-marathon from Urmston to Grasmere...

Urmston is where John lived and raised Kayleigh with his wife, Wendy - Many happy years spent together as a family. Grasmere lake is where his ashes are scattered - A location that holds a special place in the Penwill's hearts, with a tonne of memories to treasure!

St Ann's Hospice relies on a pool of volunteers who support in so many ways - From running the coffee shop and providing visitors with a much-needed cup of tea, to tending to the gardens, supporting staff on the wards etc. Without the volunteers, the hospice could not continue to provide the care Kayleigh's Dad received in 2019, alongside the many other patients prior to and since John's passing, and as a small token of appreciation, we would like to thank them by raising some much needed funds for this truly wonderful cause.