A local woman has run from Winchester to Warminster alongside her husband to raise money for Dorothy House in memory of her mum.
Jody and Paul Marchant have raised over £2,000 for the hospice that supported Jody’s mum, Leonie, in her final days.
“My mum died last year, and they were really good with her,” said Jody. “We’re hoping that this will allow Dorothy House to then help another family or a couple of families because they were really brilliant.”
Jody and Paul decided to take on the 50-mile challenge as they both turn 50 years old this year. They set off from Winchester at 5am and finished at 5.30pm at a rose bush in Plants Green, where Leonie lived.
“The residents of Plants Green maintain that flower bed, and she used to help with that, so the neighbours have planted that rose in memory of mum,” said Jody.
Jody and Paul are members of Warminster Running Club and have previously competed in The Imber Ultra. During the run, members from the club ran alongside them for part of the distance. Family members also set up drink and snack stops along the route to help replenish their supplies.
“The first 25 miles were really nice,” said Jody. “Paul’s knee started getting sore as we went through Salisbury, so we stopped and had a lolly.
“Then, as we kept going, we met some friends in Wilton from the running club and they ran with us. Paul had to slow down then, he had to start walking a bit, but my friends kept running with me.
“The last 10 miles, because it was getting hot, they were hard. I just wanted the last few miles to just finish, it seemed to take forever to do the last couple of metres, but I finally did it.”
Dorothy House provides palliative and end of life care to patients living with a life-limiting illness and their families and carers. The majority of care is delivered in the home and community.
To donate to Jody and Paul’s fundraiser, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/marchant123
Pictured: Jody and Paul with Leonie’s rose bush
