Local nurse runs fifth marathon in aid of Farleigh Hospice

Kim, a former Cardiac Research Nurse at Broomfield Hospital, currently works as a COVID-19 vaccinator as well as helping the NHS with track and trace. As the mother of two young children, aged 18 months and six, Kim squeezed in her training around nursing and family life, by taking advantage of the lighter summer evenings, running when her children were in bed.

Kim said: “The fact that the marathon was moved back to October was quite beneficial for me because I was able to train during the summer months when it was lighter in the evenings. This meant I could do my longer training runs when the children were asleep. I really enjoyed my training, it was my time to destress from the day. I am lucky that I live near the sea because I can run along the sea front from Leigh-on-sea to Thorpe Bay and the route is very scenic.”

A keen runner, Kim is a member of her local running club The Leigh-on-Sea Striders, and has had a passion for running for over 20 years. This was Kim’s fifth marathon for charity, she asked people to sponsor her a mile in memory of a loved one and she printed the names of these loved ones on her vest. She says that for her, running is a great way to destress and get some head space. Of her achievement, Kim says: “I feel great today, my muscles are a little tight, but apart from that I am fine! I’m really pleased with my time. I really enjoyed yesterday, my body held strong and I had a great run. I wasn’t sure how I’d do, as I’ve had two children since I ran my last marathon in 2014, and I turned 40 this year! But it was great, I still feel elated! I’m really proud to have been able to run in aid of Farleigh Hospice. I fundraised for Farleigh when I did my first marathon, and wanted to support them again this year for a number of reasons.

“Working as a nurse in Broomfield, I’m obviously very aware of how vital their services are to our community. But on a personal level, Farleigh cared a for the mother of a friend of mine many years ago. I’ve never forgotten how much Farleigh helped the family during such a difficult time. More recently, when I was doing my dissertation for my master’s degree, I spent some time at the hospice with the clinical team researching the provisions for end of life care in relation to heart failure and am very thankful to them for allowing me to come in and spend time with them. The pandemic has made fundraising for local charities like Farleigh Hospice so difficult and I wanted to do this for them as my way of showing I appreciate what they do. Having a dedication for each mile I ran meant so much and was a really good motivator to keep going, it made the experience even more meaningful.”

Kim worked at Broomfield hospital for six years as a cardiac nurse prior to working as a vaccinator. She completed her master’s degree in Advanced Nursing Practice shortly before having her youngest child 18 months ago. Following her maternity leave, she decided to use her skills to help the vaccination programme as well as taking a position helping with track and trace.

Debbie de Boltz, Fundraising Manager at Farleigh Hospice said: “We’d like to say a huge well done thank you to Kim for undertaking such a big challenge in aid of the hospice. It costs over £6 million each year for Farleigh to provide its much-needed services to those in our community affected by life-limiting illness and bereavement, and we simply couldn’t do what we do without the kindness of our supporters. We are so proud of all of our #TeamFarleigh 2021 marathon runners and are incredibly grateful for all of their fundraising efforts on our behalf.”