Supporters of the Prospect Hospice, including staff members, ran the London Marathon last weekend raising a whopping £15,000 for the charity. 

Some of the runners responsible for helping raise this huge sum include Sarah Hawkins, who beat a nasty cold, and Dorinda Moffatt, who battled an ankle injury she had taped on on the eighth mile to reach the finish line. 

Teachers Sharon Baker, from Lydiard Millicent Primary, and Amy Mead, from Oakhurst Primary School, were running in memory of Sharon's dad, Anthony Turner, and father in law Jack Baker. 

The pair also dedicated each mile of the long-distance test to friends and family members with the names written on the back of Sharon's running vest and Amy's arms.

Other runners who ran the marathon for the Prospect Hospice include:

Andre Morrison, of Cirencester, who ran it in to co-incide with his 60th birthday and in memory of former colleague and friend Jay Hooke, of Swindon, who died of cancer in December 2019 aged 53. 

They both worked at Zurich in Swindon and Andre, a retired accountant, was running for the Zurich Community Trust and Prospect Hospice.

Jamie Richards, 31, of Swindon and a PE teacher at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, ran in memory of his grandfather who was cared for by Prospect Hospice at home.

Sam Jenks, 40, an accountant of Swindon, ran in memory of her mother, Francine Hull, who was cared for at Prospect Hospice and died in 2000, aged 52. 

Lee McKeown, 42, a civil engineer, of Pinehurst, Swindon, ran in memory of his mother, Pauline McKeown, who died at Prospect Hospice on 26 January 2014.

A total of 13 people ran the London Marathon for Prospect Hospice and, so far, they have raised £15,100 with more on the way.

Sheryl Crouch, head of income at Prospect Hospice, said: “We’re so proud of our London Marathon runners and we’d like to thank them for their tremendous efforts.

"Several of them had to overcome illness and injury to complete the race and we have so much admiration for them. 

“Many of our runners had a personal connection to the hospice with family members cared for by it and this provided huge motivation to spur them on when they needed it most.

"As people remember their loved ones, supported by the crowd and the electric atmosphere, the London Marathon can be an emotional but incredibly rewarding experience.

“As well as receiving a well-deserved London Marathon medal, the funds raised by our runners will enable the hospice to provide specialist care to patients who are terminally ill and offer support to their families.”

If you are interested in running next year’s London Marathon on 2 October 2022 for Prospect Hospice, please contact the fundraising team by email on fundraisingandevents@prospect-hospice.net or call 01793 816161.