Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice is excited to welcome hundreds of local “Hospice Heroes” to Greenwich Park with the return of its Mini Marathon event.
Local “Hospice Heroes” after completing the mini-marathon in 2019
The popular marathon takes place on Sunday, 8 May, and is a key event in the Hospice’s annual fundraising calendar. Essentially a much smaller, family-friendly version of the famous London Marathon, it gives running heroes the opportunity to get active and have fun, running with friends or siblings as they take on a 2.62-mile route.
The Hospice Mini Marathon is now in its ninth year and is open to children aged 5 to 16 and of all abilities. They can walk, run, race or jog the route, and younger children must be accompanied by an adult. All sponsorship raised from the event will go towards the funding and provision of care for palliative patients and their families in the boroughs of Royal Greenwich and Bexley.
What’s on?
While the main event of the day is the mini marathon itself, there are plenty of other activities for families to get involved in. There will be uplifting performances of popular songs from the Rock Choir to get everyone warmed up for the race, as well as prizes for the best fancy dress costume and appearances from the Pearly King of Woolwich, Pearly Queen of Greenwich and the Pearly Princess.
To get everybody ready for their run, Ellie Brown, UK Athletics Running Coach and Founder of Greenwich Runners, will be taking everyone through a range of fun warmup exercises.
Hospice Events Manager Augusta Adu, said: “We’re all super excited that the Hospice Mini Marathon will be back on Sunday 8 May. It will be so wonderful to see over 500 children and their families coming together as a community to run 2.62 miles to support their local Hospice.”
“It will be amazing seeing so much positive energy in Royal Greenwich Park and I hope that everyone will have the best time before, during and after their run. There will be so much going on; activities and games, live music, real-life local royalty in the form of the Pearly Queen and King, a self-station and plenty of “wow” moments for the best fancy dress costume. With all that is going on in the world, I hope that Hospice Mini Marathon day can bring some fun to the local community.”
Megan Boyle, Head of Fundraising at the Hospice, said: “Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice gives very special care to local people who have a terminal illness. The mini marathon is a really important event in our fundraising calendar and raises vital funds that enable us to deliver our care and support services.
“Our Hospice helps to ensure that patients and their families are not alone in their time of need. Any of us could have to use a Hospice in the future, so it’s an incredibly important aspect of our community that deserves support. Our mini marathon helps us to provide that support to local families.”
Louise Wright, coach at Fusion Cheerleaders, said: “Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice provided the best care for not only my Nanny Hellos but for my entire family. Fusion Cheerleaders can’t wait to be there on Hospice Mini Marathon day with our pom poms cheering the runners on. I’m also honoured to be running the London Marathon in October to raise money for this incredible cause!”
Registration for the Hospice Mini Marathon is open now and will close on Tuesday 3 May. It’s not too late to enter! To find out more and to sign up your running hero, visit https://www.communityhospice.org.uk/minimarathon
