What Would You Do If You Had Just 7 Weeks?

• Started running at 50 — joined Ackworth Road Runners with my wife Rachael.
   
• First fundraiser: 10x10x10 — 10K every day for 10 days — raised £2,000 💙
  “This was my calling. Running wasn’t just a hobby anymore, it was a mission.”
   
• Great North Run dream crushed — days before the race, I was rushed into hospital with pancreatitis, pneumonia, and other life-threatening conditions.
   
• Lost half my pancreas, developed Type 3c diabetes, and faced a long recovery.
   
• Doctors told me: “Your fitness saved your life.”
   
• December – Returned home. I could barely walk, but the fight began. 

• 4 months recovery – lost 4 stone and much of my muscle.
   
• March – Returned to work.
   
• April – Started “jeffing” (run/walk/run) plus light strength training.
   
• May & June – Pontefract 10K and Doncaster Half (jeffed).
   
• July – Yorkshire 3 Peaks (hospice event).
   
• September – Great North Run redemption 🏆 — one of my proudest moments.
   
• November – First marathon (26.2 miles) 💥 — something I thought would never happen after 2021.

• March – First ultra marathon (50 km).
   
• May – Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (Rachael’s first marathon).
   
• August – 12-hour endurance event — 78 km / 48 miles, 187 laps of a running track.
   
• “When you run for charity, each challenge must be bigger than the last. This was just the beginning.”

• Together with Rachael (now nicknamed “Ultra Rach” 😆) we completed 12 challenges in 12 months — over 400 miles in total.
   
• The big one: Chester 100-mile ultra marathon — 31 hours of running, including my first night run. Rachael and our daughter Megan were my crew.
   
• click here to see all the challenges we did.

• March – Rachael ran her first 50-mile race, and I ran alongside her.
   
• April – Chester 100 attempt cut short at 77 miles after a bad fall — booked for next year.
   
• May – Missed GB Ultras Pennine Barrier 50 due to illness.
   
• June – First Backyard Ultra — ran 12 hours (50 miles)

• July - Manvers Dusk til Dawn - 12 hours from 6pm to 6am (50 miles)

• Aug - 8 hour Ultra Loop, Leeds - PB 40 miles

• End Aug - Ring o' Fire Ultra, around Anglesey coastal path (131 miles)

• Sep - Great North Run, Newcastle

• Oct - Round Ripon Ultra (35 miles)

We don’t know where this journey will lead — but we do know the Prince of Wales Hospice will always have our hearts.

Anita would be proud of what we’ve achieved.
Our supporters have made a huge difference to hospice families.
The love and encouragement we’ve received has been beyond anything we could have imagined.

But there’s still more we can do — and you can be part of it.

Every donation helps another family find comfort when it’s needed most.

Your support ensures people can spend their last days surrounded by comfort and dignity. 

You’ll be helping families through the hardest moments, offering grief support they need to heal. 

Donations fund critical pain management that lets patients find peace. 

Your gift makes home-based hospice possible, so families stay together. 

You’ll help tailor care to each patient’s needs, honouring their wishes. 

Your donation brings spiritual comfort to those facing end-of-life. 

You’ll provide trained carers, allowing families to focus on their time together. 

Your gift helps families facing terminal illness in your community. 

Donations fund volunteer visits that ease loneliness and bring comfort. 

By giving, you’ll ensure hospice care continues to serve families for generations. 

Your donation to hospice care is more than support—it’s a lifeline, a source of peace, and a lasting gift of compassion.