4th July 2025
Group of 30 to run in Nottingham Running Festival for Nottinghamshire Hospice
Rachel, Christine and their huge team are taking on Nottingham Running Festival in memory of their mum, Andrea.
Andrea, who was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, found out in the Autumn that it was terminal.
Rachel and Christine explained, “When our mum was given a terminal prognosis, she was adamant she wanted to stay at home. She said, ‘Why go to hospital when everything I need is at home and I can be comfortable?’”
Rachel & Christine and their families live as neighbours and Andrea being at home meant that her daughters and grandchildren could visit her and support their dad with caring for their mum. When Andrea’s condition worsened, the family were caring for Andrea in four-hour shifts and, needing sleep, they reached out to Nottinghamshire Hospice for help.
Rachel said, “The first people I spoke to from Nottinghamshire Hospice were Care Administration on the phones. I felt that they were the only people who listened to me. They reassured me that it was normal for my mum to have ups and downs, they put my mind at rest. I liked how talking to them didn’t feel clinical. When the palliative care assistants came, we will never forget how amazing they were. We had them for just two nights, but I remember how respectful they were. They were exceptional.”
Giving Back
Andrea died in January this year and the family wanted to give back to Nottinghamshire Hospice in as many ways as possible. As well as assembling the team of runners for Nottingham Running Festival, Andrea’s husband donated her belongings to our shops and held a collection at her funeral.
Rachel & Christine said about the group taking part in Nottingham Running Festival, “There’s a mix of people, from people in their 20s to their 70s! They are friends and family, people who are beginners to running and people who have run before. People are coming from as far as Sheffield and Swansea! There are so many ways people have been training: Couch to 5K, ParkRun, hiring a running track, and signing up for other running events – 3 of us were at Carsington Water doing a 10k in June.
Nottingham Running Festival is the perfect running event, it is inclusive due the number of distance options available. It doesn’t matter the distance, as long as you’re doing something.”
Good luck to Rachel and Christine and their incredible team at Nottingham Running Festival and a big thank you!