- Patients and carers
- News
- Who we are
- Who we help
- Training and education
- Healthcare professionals
- Your views
- Facilities and hire
- Statement of purpose
- Publications
- Videos
We care for 500 in patients and make more than 5,000 home visits a year.
Latest News
If you have a story or press enquiry please contact the press team or Clare Campbell, Public Relations Executive, on 01708 758611.
Click here to see our events.
Marathon runner hands a cheque for £1,000 to the hospice
06 June 2011
A marathon runner has handed a cheque for £1,000 to the hospice after Mecca Bingo sponsored her to complete the 26.2 mile race.
Amanda Kendell, 45, from Romford, applied for a Gold Bond place in the London Marathon to raise funds in memory of her husband, Paul, who died in August 2009. Around the same time, she entered a competition on Mecca Bingo online to win a holiday to Las Vegas, where the couple had dreamt of spending their 25th wedding anniversary.
“I just knew I was going to win it,” she said. Amazingly, Amanda’s name was selected at random out of thousands of entries from people across the county. A few months later, she jetted off to Las Vegas, where she received a phone call from a hospice fundraiser in the middle of the night.
“Lauren called me to tell me I’d been selected for a Gold Bond place in the marathon. I wanted to scream,” said Amanda. “The next day I went to the Grand Canyon with the directors of Mecca Bingo and told them my story, and they offered to donate this amazing amount of money.
“Without the hospice I don’t know what we would have done when Paul was ill. They were fantastic and they managed to keep him at home because that’s where he wanted to die.
“When Paul became ill it took him a little time to want the hospice involved, as he always thought that they only help people to die. Well this is not true. They help the person who is ill to control their illness, and they help their families - they are still helping my children and myself. They are wonderful people and I wanted to help them by running the London Marathon.”
In total, Amanda raised £2,585 for Saint Francis Hospice.
“I had never run before,” she said. “It was hard on the day, and it was very hot. The crowds were fantastic though, cheering you on even though they didn’t know you. The atmosphere was wonderful. I feel like I’ve given a little bit back to the hospice, and I’ll definitely carry on fundraising. I’d like to thank everyone that sponsored me, including Mecca Bingo.”
Fundraiser Lauren Josman said: “This really is a special story, and we are thrilled that Amanda was able to fulfil her dream of going to Las Vegas and to run the London Marathon in the same year. Her fundraising total is brilliant, and could fund over 64 hours of care for patients in their own homes, just like her husband Paul received. The hospice depends on the support of fundraisers like Amanda, so we’d like to say a huge thank you to her.”
