Earlier this year, Jane and her family all decided to take part in different fundraisers to raise money for our hospice in memory of their dear family friend, Dennis, who died at Selly Park site in June 2023.
Jane and her nephew, Travis, fundraised by running the distance of four marathons throughout July. Jane said: “I took up running in lockdown. We decided to run the distance of a marathon over seven days for four weeks in July. We ran 42.2km a week, only taking Saturdays off.
“It was great to have Travis for company, although running and talking at the same time does take a bit of extra training. A special shoutout to my dog, Ella, who ran the same number of miles with me too!”
Dawn, her mum, Sheila, and daughter, Ria, pitched in with the fundraising by taking part in our Secret Garden Memory Walk in June and shared the benefits of taking part as a family. They said: “As a family, we’re all so busy that these events give us the opportunity to get together and catch up – all while supporting a great cause.”
Speaking about this year’s memory walk, Dawn said: “It started off in glorious weather, but then changed to horrific thunderstorms. We still laughed all the way around the course, with the other walkers. We had so much fun taking part in the Zumba and there was a stand to buy some merch – the butterfly wings we brought were a lovely touch!”
In total, this fabulous family of fundraisers have raised almost £2,500 that will help care for more local people, and their families, just like Dennis.
“Fundraising is so important to ensure that Birmingham Hospice can continue to provide their amazing care. Although it’s a hospice, it doesn’t feel sad, and all the staff are incredibly friendly – it feels like everyone truly loves what they do.
“The building and surroundings were beautiful. We were able to take Dennis into the gardens and it was quite overwhelming for him as he hadn’t been able to go outside for so long, before being in the hospice. We only wish he’d gone into the hospice sooner.”
They’ve shared they’re looking forward to getting the whole family involved in The Chocolate 5K! Sheila said: “It’s great that there’s no expectation to run or be a certain fitness level. We can make it a full family day with the children and the dogs too! Plus, you get chocolate at every kilometre – even better!”
For some fundraising top tips, they shared: “Don’t be afraid to ask the fundraising teams for support and help with fundraising. We were sent emails full of information and support that really helped.”
While Jane and Dawn preferred using a JustGiving page for sponsorship as it was an instant donation, Sheila preferred using the sponsor form as she doesn’t have social media: “I was able to take it into the school where I volunteer and share it with all of the wonderful staff who work there – it was a great way to boost donations.”
Join families like Jane’s and sign up to The Chocolate 5K today!
Together, we’re making every moment matter.
