Thanks to our fantastic half marathon runners!

Thousands of athletes, sport enthusiasts and novice runners took to the streets of Birmingham to compete in this year’s Morrisons Great Birmingham Run, which takes place in the second city every October.

Among this year’s runners was first-time competitor and QEHB Theatre Assistant Jonathan Preston, who ditched the sofa and donned his trainers in support of patients at the hospital, where he has worked for 18 months.

He said: “I love working at QEHB. It’s a fantastic hospital at the top of its game, and I love making a difference to patients, being there throughout their operations and then seeing them pull through – there is no greater feeling.
“I can’t believe how much QEHB Charity does for patients, from funding pizza nights and a specialist teacher for teenagers with cancer, to providing free accommodation for military patients and their families at Fisher House. I wanted to get involved and do my bit to help, because there are so many different ways my money can be used to make a difference.

“I’d never done anything like this before, but the atmosphere was electric, and now I want to do it all over again!”

To sponsor Jonathan please go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jonathan-preston1

Running alongside Jonathan in QEHB Charity’s ‘Team Doctors’, was funeral-director Rachel Barrett, who was inspired to join the race following her mum’s emergency treatment for a shock heart condition just three months earlier. She said: “I can’t begin to describe how amazing the staff were whilst looking after my mum. They were completely devoted to caring for her and that’s all we wanted.

“I decided to raise money to help other people who, like my mum, might find themselves in hospital suddenly and unexpectedly.

“The whole day was absolutely fantastic, and QEHB Charity’s post-race massage went down very well!”

To sponsor Rachel please go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RachelABarrett

Did you know?

The Birmingham International Marathon comes to the city for the first time on Sunday 15 October 2017, the same day as the half marathon. If you’d like to tackle a bigger challenge in support of your local, world-class hospital, why not register your interest for this event? Simply email laura.power@uhb.nhs.uk to be notified when entries for the race are open.