Theme: Fundraising

Isabel Maccabee from South Manchester is competing in the 2025 Manchester Marathon in memory of her dad, Paul. 

Paul spent his last few days at St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green in what Isabel has described as an “incredibly important week in her life”. Isabel is now raising funds for the hospice in the lead up to the marathon. 

The Manchester Marathon is one of the largest sporting events in the United Kingdom with over 36,000 runners expected to take part this year. 

“Running has always been a part of my life. This is an ultimate challenge for me. My dad ran a marathon at one point in his life and I think knowing that, I’ve always had it in my mind that I was going to run a marathon at some point in my life,” Isabel said. 

Isabel is proud to be from Manchester and says competing in the marathon on home soil is a brilliant experience. 

In a cathartic turn of events, the Manchester Marathon ends in a place that holds great meaning to both Isabel and her dad. 

“The last leg of the race is down Oxford Road, by the University of Manchester, which is where dad worked for years before he died. He project managed the creation of Brunswick Park where the finish line is at. It’s a great reminder on the day of what I’m running towards and for.” 

Paul was diagnosed with cancer a week before the first lockdown of the Covid-19 epidemic in March of 2020, he spent the next few months in and out of hospital during Covid and died at St Ann’s Hospice in September 2020. 

“For us, as a family, that week that he was here was so important because during those months, my mum, sister, and I were very much carers. We had a lot of special moments with him, of course, but it felt that we were nurses and every other role under the sun to meet his needs, and make him as comfortable as possible,” she said. 

“Particularly towards the end, we just couldn’t manage it anymore. We couldn’t have kept him home any longer, although we wanted to. Being in St Ann’s was such a relief because as soon as we got here, you could tell he was more relaxed as he was being treated in ways we weren’t able to. 

“I remember he was given a proper shave and looked after; he was a very ill man but he looked so much fresher and happier in that time,” she added. 

Isabel continued. “For us it took such a load off our backs with the thoughts of remembering medication, and everything else we needed to do for him because St Ann’s dealt with it all for us. 

“We were able to be there and talk to him or read stories to him when he couldn’t communicate back. That felt to us, as the best way it could have been in his final week, a horrific week in so many ways, but St Ann’s made it so much easier. 

“I think it is possible to have a good death, and I feel like that is what we managed to have here in this hospice, because they allowed us to take a step back and just be people,” Isabel said. 

In memory of her father, Isabel has set up a Just Giving page to fundraise for St Ann’s Hospice, if you would like to donate to Isabel’s cause, or to learn more about the reasons she is running the marathon, you can visit her page, here. 

After taking part in two Manchester Marathons, Craig Weatherill from Manchester is seeking a new challenge by running in the world’s largest, single day fundraising event, the London Marathon. 

Craig will be raising funds for St Ann’s Hospice who cared for his dad, Ken. 

“I love running,” Craig said. “I’m one of the sad people who enjoys it. 

“I’ve never ran the London Marathon before, but St Ann’s have given me the opportunity to do it and so I’m going to raise some money,” he added. 

Craig says he would encourage anyone to get into running, claiming it’s a great way of “clearing your head”. 

“So just pace yourself, it’s a good way of keeping fit. The best part about it is socialising. I started running for my mental health,” he said. 

Craig’s dad was initially diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013 where his treatment was successful and according to Craig, he went back to a normal life, becoming a granddad a few times over again. 

In 2015, Ken’s cancer returned, this time in the form of a brain tumour. “After surgery to remove the tumour and Radiotherapy treatment Dad fought back and made amazing progress. He was on the road to recovery, or so we thought,” Craig said. 

The brain tumour reappeared in 2017. More surgery followed and then the tumour reappeared again in 2018. Unfortunately, it was decided that it was too dangerous to operate. 

Ken went through chemotherapy treatment at Wythenshawe Hospital and a radiotherapy treatment at the Christie in Manchester. 

“Sadly, the tumour didn’t go away, and dad deteriorated,” Craig said. 

Ken was initially admitted to St Ann’s in Heald Green in the autumn of 2019 for pain management and was later released. In February 2020, he had a chest infection and was admitted once again to St Ann’s. 

“He passed away on the 23rd of March, almost five years ago now. He fought everything so well, he always kept going,” Craig said. 

Craig said he felt strange when his dad was first admitted to St Ann’s Hospice but by the time his dad had passed, he felt that he had to give something back to the hospice. 

“They were truly amazing. The support from the staff, they were so friendly and professional but they also felt like family and friends,” he said. 

Craig has officially launched his marathon campaign, and you can donate to his cause or learn more about his reasons for running the marathon here, via his Just Giving page. 

Approximately 300 pupils from Etchell’s Primary School in Cheadle took part in a sponsored walk to St Ann’s Hospice to raise money for their new building currently under construction. 

The sun shone through the clouds as pupils from all years, along with their teachers and supervisors, made their way to the Heald Green hospice on what had been a wet start to the morning. 

Etchell’s Primary School have been longtime supporters of St Ann’s and were given the opportunity to observe the new building and to learn more about the work of the hospice. 

Director of Clinical Services at St Ann’s Hospice, Emma Dixon was on hand to welcome the children to the site. 

“It’s so wonderful to see all of you from Etchell’s Primary School here today. To walk from your school all the way here took time out of your busy days and you have helped us to raise money for the ongoing construction of our new hospice site. Everyone at St Ann’s would like to formally thank you for your generosity,” she said. 

Director of People, Culture and Support Services at St Ann’s Hospice, Gill Turnpenney was also on hand to welcome the students. 

Acting Headteacher of Etchells Primary School, Pete Cope who walked with the children commented. 

 “It was a pleasure for Etchells Primary School to be involved in a whole school sponsored walk to the Hospice. It is important for us as a school to give back to the local community and be involved with such a worthwhile cause that has affected members of our school community,” Pete said. 

Funds raised from the Etchell’s Primary School sponsored walk will go towards the Build it Together appeal by St Ann’s which seeks to raise £2m through community effort. So far over £1.5m has been raised. The new hospice building is due completion in autumn of this year. 

Two St Ann’s supporters are running a marathon each in memory of their dads who were cared for by the hospice – Can you help them raise the distance of two marathons? 

Isabel Maccabee and Craig Weatherill both from Manchester are raising funds for St Ann’s as they get ready for the challenge of running a marathon. 

Isabel will be running the Manchester Marathon while Craig will be making the journey down to the London Marathon. Both events take place on the same day, Sunday, April 27. 

Since the racers will be running a combined distance of 84k, St Ann’s are rallying support behind them and asking the public to help raise £8.4k.  

Events coordinator at St Ann’s Hospice, Laura Hindley commented. 

“Isabel and Craig are undertaking a remarkable challenge in running 26.2 miles (approx 42 kilometers) each. They are providing St Ann’s with fantastic support in raising money for ongoing care for our hospice. To thank them for undertaking this impressive feat, we are asking the public to get behind them and help them cross the line by matching their distance in fundraising.” 

Isabel’s dad, Paul was cared for by St Ann’s Hospice in his final week in September 2020. He was diagnosed with cancer in March of that year. 

“For us, as a family, that week that he was here was so important because during those months, my mum, sister, and I were very much carers. We had a lot of special moments with him, of course, but it felt that we were nurses and every other role under the sun to meet his needs, and make him as comfortable as possible,” she said. 

Craig’s dad, Ken had returning battles with cancer over the course of seven years. A returning brain tumour in 2018 was deemed too dangerous to operate on. 

He was admitted to St Ann’s in autumn of 2019 for pain management and was released. He returned in early 2020 due to a chest infection and passed away at the hospice on March 23, 2020. 

“Dad fought everything so well, he always kept going… St Ann’s were truly amazing. The support from the staff, they were so friendly and professional, but they also felt like family and friends,” Craig said. 

St Ann’s will be hosting a cheer point for the Manchester Marathon outside the St Ann’s Hospice charity shop in Altrincham, anyone who would like to take part in cheering Isabel and our other runners on please email events@sah.org.uk 

You can support our runners by donating online to their individual Just Giving pages. You can find Isabel’s by clicking here, and Craig’s by clicking, here. 

The current St Ann’s Hospice site in Heald Green only has six private rooms with the other beds on larger shared wards. The new hospice includes 21 individual rooms that open onto a private courtyard. 

Marcella Turner, founder and chief executive officer of Can-Survive UK, a charity that supports people living with or affected by cancer, experienced the care in St Ann’s when her family member was admitted to the hospice. Here she witnessed firsthand the difference a private room made to her family as her loved one was the end of their life. 

“We were given a shared ward that wasn’t in use at the time, and we were told we could occupy that space for the duration of our stay at St Ann’s, Marcella said. 

“No one else was admitted so we had full use of the space for ourselves, which as a large family was welcome. We have a Jamaican background and from a cultural point of view, when a loved one is coming to the end of life, then it is traditional for the family members to stay with them throughout the process until they pass. 

Marcella believes that the 21 private, individual rooms in the new hospice building is a “wonderful way forward”. 

“Families should have that privacy when they are saying goodbye to their loved ones. I think being in a ward where people may be at different stages, may be upsetting for other people. It’s showing St Ann’s Hospice are trying to meet the individual’s needs and particularly in terms of cultural appropriateness, as every culture has different ways of saying goodbye.”

The major importance for the interior design of the new St Ann’s Hospice building in Heald Green is creating a comfortable, welcoming environment for patients and families. 

The interior of the new building is being spearheaded by AXI Studio, and creative director, Sarah de Freitas says she wants to create a space where people feel at home. 

“Both the patients and the families are going through difficult times, so we feel that the comfort of the space needs to be on par with how they feel at home, if not even better,” Sarah said. 

The biggest driving force for AXI Studio is to tick all the boxes for the various needs of the patients and families. 

“If people are going through a tough time in the moment or are feeling upset, then we need to create spaces where they can have a moment to themselves. So, creating spaces that are like little pockets of privacy is so important. 

Creating the spaces is a major priority but according to Sarah, designing the look of these spaces is also just as important. 

“The look and feel of the textures and materiality needs to be different from anything you see in a hospital, which is often not the case in these types of environments. Yes, it does have a clinical side to it but again people are spending a lot of time here, so it needs to feel more homely. 

“We don’t want stock white walls with big fluorescent lights that you see in a lot of clinical environments,” Sarah said. 

AXI and St Ann’s have decided on light soft woods, to add texture and a premium feel to the space. This according to Sarah helps with the feeling that people aren’t entering into a sterile hospital environment. 

“We’ve really enjoyed the process. St Ann’s are a fabulous team to work with, a lovely client and we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far. We’ve done a lot of commercial work so it is nice to know that this project will impact people’s lives quite significantly,” Sarah said. 

As the structural bones of the hospice are now nearly complete, St Ann’s is launching the next phase of their capital appeal, this time asking the public for their generosity in helping to kit out the new site with furnishings and decorations. 

A £30 donation could pay for cups and saucers for cups of tea or coffee for patients and visitors, £100 could pay for bedding bundles so patients are warm and cosy in their bed, £300 could pay for comfy chairs for visitors to sit with their loved one, £500 could pay for recliner chairs to enable patients to relax out of bed, in comfort, and £1,000 will get your name on our wall to recognise your generous gift to St Ann’s. 

If you would like to donate, you can do so by visiting this link that will direct you to the St Ann’s Hospice Build it Together website. 

St Ann’s Hospice is delighted to announce that a total of £1.5m has been raised by the Build it Together appeal for the continued construction of the new hospice building in Heald Green.

The £1.5m milestone has been reached thanks to the generosity and support from individuals and organisations. St Ann’s is now three quarters of the way to reaching its goal of £2m from fundraising from the community.

The hospice is now well and truly taking shape, with the roof of the new inpatient unit currently being fitted.

St Ann’s is now entering the next phase of its public appeal and is asking the community for help funding the cost of the furnishings and decorations that will make the new hospice a comfortable and welcoming environment for patients and their loved ones. This will make up the final quarter of the £2m Build it Together appeal.

“All of these donations are bringing us closer to completion and the opening of a state-of-the-art facility fitting for the patients who need to avail of our services,” Anne-Marie said. 

Chief Executive of St Ann’s Hospice, Rachel McMillan also commented. 

“The current St Ann’s hospice building in Heald Green has been standing for over 150 years and was never intended to be a hospice prior to our takeover of the building in 1971. It has served us wonderfully over the past five decades, but it is time for something fresh and modern, a facility that the patients and families we care for deserve. 

“You can see the building coming together more and more with every passing day at Heald Green and I am so excited for what’s to come in the near future,” she added. 

The new hospice will include private bedrooms for patients so they and their loved ones can have the privacy they deserve at this important time.  

St Ann’s are taking care to build the new hospice into the existing landscape – meaning there will be much bigger gardens, and lovely mature trees surrounding the hospice building. A suitable environment is such an important part of feeling comfortable and that is why we at St Ann’s are working so hard to make the new hospice a reality.