On Sunday September 13th, I’m running the Great North Run.

I definitely said I wasn’t doing any more half marathons but, on December 27th 2025 as I watched the health care assistants caring for Mum, I signed up there and then.

On December 23rd, alongside an incredible team of medical professionals; I had supported Mum and Dad to get a referral for Hospice at Home Care from St Mary’s Hospice, Ulverston.

Mum received 19 days of care from the Hospice.

This included but wasn’t limited to:

- 3 daily visits from two health care assistants who washed her, brought her things they knew she’d like, brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, chatted to her

- Nurse visits every few days

- Regular phone calls

- Out of hours text support when Nurses weren’t even on shift

- Turning up when I rang in distress within 30 minutes just to reassure us

- A hospital bed delivered to the house

- A commode, a walking frame, top of the range slide sheets

- So much love, care and compassion for Dad.

On the last day of Mum’s life, we had Nurses and health care assistants in and out all day and on the phone. Nothing was too much. When I lost my patience and asked them to hurry up and help her, they understood and soothed me and told me I had every right to feel that way. When I asked them outright ‘is this it, is she dying?’ they knew just how to say ‘yes’ with practicality and sensitivity. When the health care assistants cut Mum out of her pyjamas to regulate her body temperature, they gently spoke to her while they did it. When the Nurse gave her additional medication right at the end, she gently spoke to her while she did it.

When healthcare assistants Katie and Liz arrived just as Mum was dying, they offered to leave to give us privacy. We asked them to stay. They held Dad’s shoulder and cried with us. They made all the phone calls while we sat with Mum and said goodbye.

We paid nothing for this service.

St Mary’s Hospice is a Charity that relies on donations. Mum always wanted to die at home with her family. The care, compassion and support they gave her and us meant she had everything just as she’d hoped for.

This year, I will proudly run to raise money for them. This year, I run with one goal in mind: to raise more money than we raised last year.

Will you please consider sponsoring me?

A rough estimate online suggests that Mum’s care cost the Hospice at least £5000. I genuinely think this is just the minimum. Last year, we raised just short of £4500 for The Brain Tumour Charity. Fancy trying to help me beat it?

We will never, ever forget those 19 days.