I will be running the Manchester marathon and London marathon on back-to-back weekends in 2026 in memory of my wife Collette Green who passed away earlier this year (May 2025) and I'll be raising money for the hospital's Radiotherapy Fund which was a core part of Collette's treatment in 2024.

Collette worked at Ipswich hospital as a dietitian in the diabetes team (and previously other roles at the hospital) and was a keen runner, cyclist and swimmer(!), but above all the best mum to the girls and the most amazing wife. In 2023 she ran both the Manchester marathon and London marathon on consecutive weekends and the girls and I were so proud of her. I was due to run the Manchester marathon earlier this year and raise money for the Radiotherapy Fund as Collette had 35 consecutive sessions of radiotherapy at Ipswich for her treatment and I wanted to do something to help this fund and the team at the hospital that supported her.

However we had the devastating news in January this year that Collette's cancer had spread and so I deferred my place for Manchester to 2026 so we could make the most of the time we had left. I now have this opportunity to run both marathons and follow what Collette did back in 2023 and raise money in her memory for this cause that was close to her. Collette was always so kind and willing to help others, so if I can raise some money to help others going through treatment then I hope I can make her proud. I will be following the training plan she created for me last year and every time the training gets a bit tough I'll think of what she went through with such courage and strength in typical Collette fashion, look up to the sky and know she's there with me.

The Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity raises money to improve facilities, fund new equipment, provide additional services, support staff development and initiate local medical research and innovative projects at The East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.