Radio celebrity takes on London Marathon for hospice
Local radio celebrity Helen Wheels has announced that she will run the London Marathon 2016 in aid of St Richard’s Hospice.
Helen, who co-hosts the Hursty and Helen Breakfast Show on Worcestershire’s Free Radio, announced live on air last Monday morning that she will take on the marathon challenge and raise money to help support hospice care.
The intrepid presenter was invited to take on the challenge by St Richard’s Hospice which offered her one of their Gold Bond places at the event next April. After receiving overwhelming support from the show’s listeners, Helen decided to take up the offer and has started on a rigorous training schedule to prepare for the 26 mile run.
Helen has set herself an initial fundraising target of £1,000, which will provide 2.3 days of specialist care for a patient in the hospice’s In-patient Unit.
Helen said; “I’ve never done anything like this before and I am a self-confessed hater of running, but this year I decided for the sake of my three young boys I should get a bit fitter, so I started doing light exercise for the first time in a very long time. St Richard’s Hospice then came forward to kindly offer me a place in the London marathon 2016! It goes without saying I couldn’t say no….”
St Richard’s Fundraising Director Tricia Cavell said; “We are thrilled that Helen has taken us up on our offer of a place in next year’s London Marathon and very much looking forward to working with her as she prepares for this exciting challenge. We are very grateful to Helen and her team at Free Radio for supporting hospice care and hope that her challenge will also raise awareness within the local community of the wide range of support that St Richard’s can offer.”
To donate to Helen’s fund visit www.justgiving.com/hurstyandhelen/
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-threatening illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,600 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.
For more information please visit www.strichards.org.uk
Caption: Helen Wheels and Richard Hurst ( Hursty) with St Richard’s Fundraising Director Tricia Cavell at the recent hospice Rainbow Run in which the radio presenters took part