Dedicated hospice supporter and retail manager John is lacing up for a sporty themed challenge to raise awareness of the work of The Hospice Charity Partnership.

As part of the charity’s Summer of Sport campaign, John Ridd, retail area manager at the West Midlands charity, will be running from John Taylor Hospice, on Grange Road in Erdington, to Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, on Raddlebarn Road in Selly Park, to highlight the unity between the two hospices following their partnership in August last year.

John, who has worked at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice in Retail for 12 years, said: “I wanted to do something to raise awareness of The Hospice Charity Partnership since Birmingham St Mary’s and John Taylor Hospice joined together to form it one year ago.

“We are one charity, one team and one hospice family. Everything we do is for the good of people in the community, patients and their families and I hope my run will promote this.”

The Hospice Charity Partnership provides expert palliative and end of life care for people and their families living with life-limiting illnesses. Offering personalised support at home, in local communities or at the hospices, helping people to live well with their illness, right up to the very end of life.

John’s challenge coincides with the charity’s Summer of Sport campaign, which encourages people to raise vital funds for patients living with life-limiting illness and their families by hosting a sporty fundraiser anytime between 1 July and 31 August, for more information visit: www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/campaigns/sport

This will not be the first challenge John has undertaken for the charity, in the past he has ran the London Marathon twice and is even planning to climb Ben Nevis in 2023.

“You’ll struggle to find anyone as passionate as me about the charity,” John added. “I absolutely love my job and where I work, it’s a fantastic place.

“We’re constantly working together with other departments in the charity. For example, recently a young patient was staying at out Inpatient Unit and the TV he had wasn’t compatible with his Fire Stick. The clinical team asked if retail could help find a TV for him, and within half an hour we had one ready to go that had been donated.

“Although we do a lot of our work in the shops across the city, everything comes back to how we can best support patients and families.”

John will run his eight-mile cross-city route on Saturday 13th August just in time for the Party in the Park celebrations to begin.

He said: “I’ll be starting my run at about 9am on the morning of the Party in the Park and will be finishing the run at Selly Park in time for me to jump on the vintage stall we’ll be running on the day.

“I hope to see plenty of people there to celebrate our charity’s achievements and our city!”

Celebrations at the charity’s Party in the Park event will kick off at 11am. Entry is free and the day will be packed with live music and entertainment, DIY craft stalls, games stalls and tasty treats from local vendors.

There will also be a brand new Party 5k run for those looking to join in with the city’s summer of sport, a fun-filled 5k fit for all the family.

Participants will boogie through party stations, take on an inflatable slide and finish in a tunnel of foam, before celebrating back at Party in the Park where they’ll be given an exclusive Party 5k Party Bag. Sign up here: www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/campaigns/party-5k