On Sunday 15th April, two Phyllis Tuckwell supporters raised over £2,000 for the local Hospice Care charity by completing the Brighton Marathon, and a week later another 18 runners took part in the London Marathon in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell, adding £34,000 more to the marathon total!
Brighton was Tracy Godfrey and Kelly Clarke’s first ever marathon, and they ran it together, finishing with a time of 5 hours and 54 minutes. Prior to the event, the pair spent a lot of time fundraising in order to reach this fantastic total, and were supported by Aldershot-based gym NKB Fitness, who held a rowathon and a gym open day to help boost the amount raised.
Just a week later, but many degrees warmer, came the hottest London Marathon on record, reaching 24.1 degrees C. 18 Phyllis Tuckwell fundraisers took part and, despite the intense heat and a few injuries that hindered some of them, all completed the 26.2 miles safely and triumphantly! Tim Bartholomew was the fastest, finishing in 3 hours 17 minutes, closely followed by Marie Notermans in 3 hours 35 minutes.
These 18 runners have together raised a total of £34,000, with money still coming in. Combined with the £2,000 from the Brighton Marathon, this total of £36,000 will all go directly towards helping fund the supportive and end of life care which Phyllis Tuckwell offers to local patients and families who are living with an advanced or terminal illness, such as cancer.
“We would like to say a huge thank you and very well done to our dedicated marathon runners, who have raised an incredible amount of money to help fund our vital supportive and end of life care,” said Phyllis Tuckwell’s Events Fundraiser, Fiona Chapman. “£36,000 is a huge amount of money and could pay for over nine months’ care from one of our Hospice Care at Home nurses. These nurses provide compassionate nursing care for patients who have chosen to spend their last days, and to die, in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. They also provide emotional support for patients and their families at this difficult time.”
Every day Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care supports over 250 patients, relatives and carers - in their own homes, at the Hospice in Farnham and at the Beacon Centre in Guildford - through a mix of medical and nursing care, therapies, counselling, social work advice and practical support. However, as the NHS/Government only covers 20% of its costs, it has to raise over £20,000 a day to be able to offer all of these services, which are given free of charge to its patients and their families, and it therefore relies heavily on fundraising events such as these marathons.
If these incredible fundraisers have inspired you to take part in the 2019 London Marathon in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell, you’ll need to enter the London Marathon ballot and complete an application form to be part of the PTHC team. For a form, contact Phyllis Tuckwell on 01252 729446 or email fundraising@pth.org.uk.
