A team of nurses and carers from Julia’s House is preparing to take on the Bournemouth half marathon in October to raise money for their children’s hospice charity.
Nurses Hannah Kelly, Sophie Ingham, Amy Roper, Laura Cooke and carer Sarah Farrell are pulling on their running shoes for the Run Bournemouth festival to complete a 21km seafront route starting at Hengistbury Head and finishing at Bournemouth’s Pier Approach. The team is also joined for the half marathon by Amy’s fiancé, James Spicer.
Says Hannah, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of Julia’s House so we thought we could help raise some money for the charity by running the half marathon. We hope that by doing this challenge as staff it will show and encourage others that fundraising for Julia’s House truly does have a huge impact for the families that we care for.
“Between the six of us we all have different levels of experience when it comes to running. I started running casually in April and this will be my first ever race and longest run yet! With us all working shifts it’s been impossible to train together, but thankfully Sports Coach Will Newbery from 9 Endurance has volunteered his expertise to help us with our training, sending weekly running plans, recovery tips and being at the end of the phone if we needed some support. Without his help I don’t think I would have made it this far!
“The hardest part for us all has been fitting the training plans around our ever-changing shifts with work. Training through summer with the heat was difficult, and there have been many injuries amongst the group, and COVID, which has also taken its toll on training. Now we’re just looking forward to getting out there and completing our challenge!”
Julia’s House provides specialist nursing care to children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and practical and emotional support to their families. The charity is able to provide its service completely free of charge to families thanks to the generosity of the local community – it relies on public donations, fundraising and legacies for around 92% of the money needed to keep running its vital service in Dorset and Wiltshire.
“If anyone is considering fundraising for Julia’s House please do!” says Hannah. “It’s such a great feeling knowing what a positive impact you’re making to local families.”
You can support the Julia’s House team by visiting their Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hannah-Kelly02