This year, Nottinghamshire Hospice were excited to have five places in the Great North Run. Victoria chose to run for Nottinghamshire Hospice after her father, Neil, received our care in 2019. 

Supporting the family 

Neil suffered with bladder cancer and in the last few weeks of his life, Victoria’s family decided to bring him home, where he had lived for over forty years. Neil received our Hospice In Your Home care for the last few days of his life. 

Victoria said, “As you can imagine, this was a difficult and exhausting time for us all. In his final few days, Nottinghamshire Hospice came to our aid – our guardian angels. They came each evening to our home and sat with Dad through the night, keeping him comfortable which enabled us to get some much-needed rest for the day ahead. They were professional, kind and above all compassionate. We thought it would be strange to have someone in the house but when they did come, I felt relieved that he was in safe hands.  

“When the nurse thought it was time, she knocked on my door so we could spend his final moments with him. We thought it was so professional how she then blended into the background so we could spend time as a family.” 

Supporting us 

Victoria and her family are regular supporters of Nottinghamshire Hospice including having a leaf on our tree of life. She saw that Nottinghamshire Hospice had Great North Run places through our social media. Although Victoria runs regularly, she saw this as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness alongside her fitness. By completing the Great North Run, Victoria raised a huge £890 for Nottinghamshire Hospice! 

Remembering Neil 

Victoria had to say about her dad, “Dad was very much a family man – he had 4 children and 10 grandchildren; he loved spending time with us all. We often holidayed together in Tenby and Florida. He loved to travel with Mum, and they spent rather a lot of his retirement travelling the world. He was a huge rugby fan and supported the Leicester Tigers. I think one of the biggest moments of his life was when he travelled to Australia to watch England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003.” 

Thank you! 

Thank you to Victoria and our other Great North Runners for fundraising for Nottinghamshire Hospice! 

If you want to compete in next year’s Great North Run for Nottinghamshire Hospice, click on the button below and complete our expression of interest form: