Our London Marathon Runners raise £50,700 for the Hospice!

On Sunday 23 April, a team of 19 fantastic fundraisers tackled the world-famous TCS London Marathon in aid of the Hospice. A London GP and local schoolteacher, amongst many other steadfast runners, have raised more than £50,700 for the local charity close to their hearts.

Each of the runners have their own personal reasons for representing the Hospice. Their individual fundraising efforts ahead of the London Marathon, included auctions, raffles and personal drives to their JustGiving pages, has seen them raise an outstanding amount and counting.

Runner, Bhavesh Patel, flew all the way from Texas to take part in the iconic marathon on behalf of the Hospice. Local GP and first-time marathon runner, Helen Sheppard, signed up to raise awareness and funds, after working closely with the Hospice team and leaning on them for valued advice.

Young runner, Danielle Miller, 22 years of age, burst into tears when she found out her spot was secured in this year’s marathon.

“I have always wanted to give back to St Raphael’s for the unmatched care and kindness they gave to my mum in the last weeks of her life. This Hospice means the world to me and my family, as they have taken care of all of us. We need to help keep their free, expert care available to the people of Merton and Sutton.”

As a charity, it costs us £6m each year to keep their doors open, and with only 25% of funding from the NHS, they rely on the generous support of the community to continue providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care free of charge.

Samantha Bourne, Challenge Events Manager said: “It’s an incredibly moving experience to spot all of our amazing runners in their St Raphael’s Hospice tops and cheer for them across the finish line. Every year I have tissues at the ready, watching our runners put themselves through so much to raise funds for our charity. Our fastest runner this year, James Elderton, recorded a remarkable time of 02:58:42, with great cheer from his family on the side-lines.”

She adds: “The commitment and determination of our runners is extraordinary. They are so brave and dedicated to helping raise vital funding towards our Hospice’s free specialist care for the community and their families. We are beyond thankful and proud of Team St Raphael’s.”