Wendy Reaches £10k Target in Memory of Her Dad

Following four years of fundraising and numerous running challenges for St Elizabeth Hospice, Wendy Kelway has raised £10,000 for the independent Suffolk charity in memory of her Dad, Barrie Murton.

Since 2019, Wendy has hosted a variety of bake sales and pub quizzes at her local pub, The Shannon, in Bucklesham, while also completing a 12-hour run-a-thon, Colchester Half Marathon, Ipswich Half Marathon, Brighton Marathon as well as twice finishing the Manchester Marathon, with all funds going to St Elizabeth Hospice.

Wendy chose to support the hospice, after the charity supported her Dad, at his home, before his death in August 2019 from oral cancer, with Wendy keen to raise £10,000 as this is the equivalent cost to the total care given by the charity, for free, to her Dad.

She explained: “From the moment the hospice team walked through the door, they carried us and supported us. Without their help we would not have been able to grant Dad his wish, which was to die at home.

“I wanted to raise £10,000 as I asked the hospice team how much it would roughly cost hourly to provide their care and then worked out how many hours they supported us. I thought if I could give that back, then somebody else’s loved one could receive the amazing support that we did.

“Raising this amount has been a team effort. Thank you to everyone who donated and cheered me on, but a special thank you to my husband James and to my friend, Cathy Baxter, for being with me every step of the way. I know Dad will be proud of me, although he will have had a laugh, as he knows I am not a natural runner!

“I will never stop supporting the hospice. They touch the lives of so many people in the local community and they are always there for you and your loved ones, during life’s hardest times they provide great compassion and reassurance – they are just phenomenal.”

Celia Joseph, community relationships fundraising manager at the hospice, said: “Many congratulations and a big thank you to Wendy for raising this fantastic amount. Wendy’s drive and passion has to be commended and well done for completing an array of brilliant challenges along the way. It really is a fantastic achievement.

“The whole hospice team has enjoyed watching Wendy’s fundraising journey over the last few years and to see her reach her fundraising goal is just brilliant. All the funds raised will make such a difference to our services and to those under our care.”