Busy bee Belinda takes on unbee-lievable Great Manchester Run races for St Ann’s Hospice!
Written by Belinda Neild, supporter of St Ann’s Hospice
As a dedicated supporter of St Ann’s Hospice I love doing a challenge to raise money. This month I’m taking on not one but both of the Great Manchester Run’s on Sunday 21 st May – and dressed as a bumble bee!
I’ve been raising money for St Ann’s Hospice over the last twelve years, originally in memory of my Mum and then for my Mum’s siblings too.
My Mum was a patient at the Little Hulton site before she died at home in 2011. My father-in-law and aunt have died at the hospice since, with lasting connections being made between my family and St Ann’s.
Last year I hit the milestone of raising £20,000 for the hospice and I’ve added to this earlier in year by running the London Marathon with my husband Stephen Neild.
The Great Manchester Run has two races, a 10k and a half-marathon, and I hope to cross the finish line of both of these races!
I’ve ran over ten marathons many of which have been in costumes such as a Rubik’s cube, a Forrest Gump and a sumo wrestler, as well as completing a triple marathon challenge.
I’m running these races in a brand new costume which is very fitting, as everyone calls me B so it makes sense that for the Great Manchester Run I would run dressed as the Manchester bee – I’m the Manchester Queen bee!
My family and I have never stopped fundraising since 2011, I never expected we’d still be raising so much money but everyone around us knows how important St Ann’s Hospice is to our family. Belinda Neild, Fundraiser
I love fundraising and try to be as creative as possible, leading me to gain two Guinness World Records for running a marathon in the fastest time dressed as an item of stationery – a red crayon first then as a pencil!
From fundraising myself and my husband did for the London Marathon we have raised £5200. We received an amazing donation of £2600 from Electricity North West and £540 from the White Lion pub in Swinton.
I’d love to reach £5500 through money raised for this race, so please donate if you can it would mean so much to me, my family and those at St Ann’s Hospice.
St Ann’s Hospice provide important care and services to patients across Greater Manchester who have life-limiting illnesses, and also support their family and friends in their time of need.
Please donate to my Just Giving page here so that I can give as much as possible to St Ann’s Hospice once I’ve buzzed across the finish line!