JOGGERS with a Malvern club have run up a “fantastic” fund-raising total for St Richard’s Hospice.
Each year, members of the Malvern Joggers vote to decide which charity to support over the upcoming 12 months – and for 2021, St Richard’s Hospice was chosen.
So far, the club has raised £1,500 for the county charity which cares for people with serious, progressive illnesses and their loved ones.
Jamie Francis, vice chair of the Malvern Joggers, joined others in October to present the cheque just a week after his mum’s death on the hospice’s In-patient Unit.
“When I cast my vote for St Richard’s to be the club’s chosen charity, I did not know how much I was going to learn about the hospice and how much it was going to mean to me,” said Mr Francis.
After falling ill earlier this year, Mr Francis’ mum, Theresa, was supported at home by the hospice’s Community Team. She moved to the In-patient Unit, in Worcester, in September.
“The care received by mum, and the whole family, was extraordinary,” said Mr Francis. “It was a huge sense of relief knowing all of her needs were cared for and we didn’t have to worry.
“There is no doubt my understanding of the situation, and the grief I am experiencing, has been made that bit easier thanks to St Richard’s. I am forever indebted to them.”
The Malvern Joggers began in 2003 with around a dozen runners. It now has more than 230 members of all abilities.
To read a blog post by Mr Francis on the care his mum and family received from St Richard’s Hospice, visit www.strichards.org.uk/jamies-st-richards-story
