The importance of support

A funding crisis in the hospice sector made the news this week. The one in question was St. Cuthbert’s Hospice in Durham. According to the Northern Echo “St Cuthbert’s Hospice has announced that it may be forced to make staffing reductions and close services in a bid to manage an increasing gap in its finances. 

Around 28 staff of the 124-strong workforce face redundancy as the charity struggles to cope with growing financial pressures. 

The hospice - which cared for more than 1,000 people in the hospice itself and out in the community last year - said it must raise £3.8m with around 42% of that income coming from commissioning. It comes as the hospice sector faces a financial crisis across the country. 

The Northern Echo reported in October how Butterwick Hospice and Teesside Hospice were both facing crisis point, with “unsustainable” financial pressures and “finite” charity reserves “fast running down”. 

At the time, chiefs warned that the sector could soon no longer be financially viable as hospices face a challenge to balance their books.” 

There was further coverage on the local and national news. It all made for very sobering viewing. In a world of many very worthy causes it underlined how important it is to do whatever we can for our local hospices. 

I don’t need reminding of just how important St. Benedict's Hospice was to my Mam. I constantly live those thoughts and feelings. This extract from my blog in August 2011 really sums it up “I have spoken on many an occasion just how I am forever in the debt of St Benedict's Hospice. They cared for my Mam during some very difficult times. As a then 23 year old, they answered my desperate call for help. 

The cancer from my Mam's lung had spread to her brain and as her days became numbered. Her body started to fail and the Hospice were there to lessen her pain and give her a dignified end to her life. 

I'm a firm believer that this kind of care should be available to all who need it. I'm an even firmer believer in the Hospice movement. It is with that in mind that, as long as I can run, I will continue to raise funds for the Hospice.” 

I followed that up in April 2021 on the blog “I shudder to think how my Mam's final days would have played out without the care and support from St. Benedict's Hospice. We are extremely fortunate to have an amazing hospice movement in this country. We must do everything that we can to make sure that these services continue to help terminally ill people and their families.’ 

If ever a reminder was needed about the importance of fundraising projects such as Run Geordie Run then it was certainly there this week. 

USA 2025 Support Team vacancies

The 3200 mile/100 day run across the USA between May 1st and August 8th 2025 requires a support team of volunteers to help make it a success. Duties range from driving a motorhome, cooking, cleaning, shopping for supplies and ensuring that the runner gets his daily miles run! 

The recruitment campaign has been a huge success so far. Thank you to everyone who has applied over the last 12 months and to those who made it through on to the team. The interest shown has been brilliant. There is at least one person on the team for the entire 100 days and we have the desired two people on the team for 52 days.

The gaps in the support team rota are as follows: 

24/05/25 - 01/06/25 (Indianapolis to St. Louis)

02/06/25 - 27/06/25 (St. Louis to Walsenburg)

12/07/25 - 23/07/25 (Kayenta to Las Vegas)

29/07/25 - 02/08/25 (Death Valley)

Duties on the team will be carried out against a backdrop of some of the most beautifully challenging and fascinating landscape in the USA. Not only is this a chance of a lifetime but it's a chance to play a key part in the success of a run that aims to raise at least £60,000 for St. Benedict's Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) in memory of my Mam and Dad. 

Here are some highlights to give you an idea of what is involved with being part of the support team: 

• The aim is to have 2 people on the support team at any one time. Daily duties include driving a motor home, cooking (mainly porridge and omelettes), motorhome admin (such as emptying waste, filling water and fuel) and that's pretty much the basic requirement. 
• All support team crew are unpaid volunteers like myself. We have retired police officers, a software developer, a retired banker, a B&B owner and a business owner among our ranks already. The ages range from 40 - 67 currently. 
• Support team crew are responsible for getting to the point of the run when needed and meeting up with the motorhome. For some this is straight forward (for example one lady is leaving at Indianapolis very close to the airport. One man is taking a 2 hour bus journey to Pittsburgh to fly out of there. 
• Overnight parking spots vary from RV parks (for which there is very limited budget) to Walmart parking lots to spaces at the side of the road. 
• The first gap in the rota is through the American Mid West. There are many minor roads. We are expecting low volumes of traffic and the driving should be quite straightforward.
• Once the team are in the motorhome the only expenses you'll incur are your own food requirements. There is no charge for staying in the motorhome. That's obvious to me but not to everyone and is worth stating. 
• A typical day starts at 0600 - 0630 for porridge. Once I set off running then the motorhome will drive to a meeting point ahead on the route. The number of stops will vary. The running day is usually split into two sections with lunch in the middle (and usually a sleep for me). The aim is to finish running, update the blog, edit and upload video and be asleep by 2200 ready to do it all over again. 
• A detailed route plan is available now. I'm adding various data to it constantly such as suggested overnight stops, RV waste dump locations, supermarkets etc. The only age restriction is to be 21 to 72 for motorhome insurance purposes. 
• We have a support team Whatsapp channel for questions and knowledge sharing. 
• There are opportunities to join me running if you so wish. 

If you are fit and healthy, hold a driving license, have a positive attitude, have good problem solving skills and can commit to plug some of the gaps on the tour, this could be for you. 

If you're interested in applying then please complete the form below. Even if you're not 100% sure about joining the team at this stage please apply anyway and we can have an informal discussion where there will be an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have. Also, please feel free to email me at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com with any questions.

Support Team Vacancies

There have been two changes to the support team plan recently with Tom unable to carry out duties in Indiana and Ohio and Graeme now starting a little later than planned in Las Vegas. Thankfully, the coast to coast support remains intact with at least one person on the team all the way from Coney Island to Huntington Beach. 

The support model I’m aiming for, requires two people on the team. That allows the support workload to be shared and to lessen the risk of any absence or illness impacting the run. The current rota looks like this: 

• TEAM ALPHA (Coney Island to Blaine) - Carlton and Deb
• BRAVO (Blaine to Indianapolis) - Deb and John
• CHARLIE (Indianapolis to St. Louis) - John and vacancy
• DELTA (St. Louis to Walsenburg) - Alan and vacancy
• ECHO (Walsenburg to Kayenta) - Deb and Thomas
• FOXTROT (Kayenta to Las Vegas) - Deb and vacancy
• GOLF (Las Vegas to Pahrump Valley) - Graeme
• HOTEL (Pahrump Valley to Death Valley) - Graeme and Phil
• INDIGO (Death Valley) - Phil and vacancy
• JULIET (Olancha) - Graeme
• KILO - (Olancha to Huntington Beach) - Graeme and Phil 

The vacancies are: 

• 24/05/25 - 01/06/25 (Indianapolis to St. Louis)
• 02/06/25 - 27/06/25 (St. Louis to Walsenburg)
• 12/07/25 - 23/07/25 (Kayenta to Las Vegas)
• 29/07/25 - 02/08/25 (Death Valley)

Some of those gaps in the rota present significant logistical challenges. St. Louis to Walsenburg and Kayenta to Las Vegas have limited options to join and leave the team. Death Valley is difficult for the same reason and also from the point of view of acclimatisation (or acclimation as the Americans might say). On the plus side, the parts of the route with only one person on currently are fairly easy to navigate. Also there is only really Alan who is on his own without any handover. John, for example, will partner Deb for the first 9 of his 18 days on the team. Graeme is only on his own for one day in Las Vegas and will be able to get a handover from Deb.

An attempt to plug those gaps will see another recruitment campaign get underway later today.

USA 2025 t-shirts now available

Over the years sales of Run Geordie Run t-shirts have raised almost £40,000 for good causes in the North East of England. Thanks to the goodwill of local businesses for paying for their production costs, EVERY PENNY from sales has been donated to charities such as St. Benedict's Hospice, The Children's Foundation, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Useful Vision.

I'm excited to report that, thanks to further goodwill, this time from a very kind long time supporter of my running and also Doors and Floors Direct Limited, there is a Run Geordie Run USA 2025 t-shirt now available to order. I really can't thank them enough for paying for all production costs.

The four colour design is printed on the same technical fabric as previous Run Geordie Run t-shirts. They are ideal to wear in the gym, out running, on a walk or simply down the pub. They are available in sizes S, M, L, XL and XXL and are priced at £30. Postage to the UK is free.

T-shirts will be posted on 25th November 2024. To order yours, please complete the form below.

1) HOW TO ORDER 

a) Fill out the order form below. Yes, it's not very hi tech but it allows use of the JustGiving donation platform as the payment method which means all money goes securely and direct to St Benedict's Hospice. 

b) Pay the required amount using https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025. 

For example, one t-shirt posted to the UK will be £30.

Don't forget to leave you name at Justgiving. 

2) PRICE

£30 per t-shirt

3) POSTAGE PRICE

UK - Free

Rest of the world -  £12. (Only pay 1 postage amount for any number of t-shirts.) 

4) QUESTIONS

Please email any queries or questions to sponsorship@rungeordierun.com.

Charity Raffle 2024

CELEBRATING 3 YEARS OF EDDIE HOWE AT NEWCASTLE UNITED

Thank you to everyone who bought a raffle ticket at www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierunraffle2024. £232 was raised for St. Benedict's Hospice.

The winner is Andrew Simpson.

Run Geordie Run Leaflets proving their worth

The Run Geordie Run leaflet has continued to prove valuable in terms of getting the message out there and attracting donations. From using the last leaflets in 2018, I’d genuinely forgotten just how good a conversation starter they are (or an “ice breaker” as I called it in last week’s email). They are also really useful to leave with people when time for a lengthy conversation isn’t possible. 

I handed a few out leaflets at the match on Saturday. Pictured below are fellow season ticket holders Pam and Karen just before kick off. 

The beauty of the leaflet is the A3 map that is contained inside. It really helps to give the reader a sense of the size and scale of the 3200 mile route across the USA. Karen and her husband Alan are pictured below with the leaflet fully folded out.

Since I started handing out leaflets, I’m very proud to report that £255 has been donated to St. Benedict's Hospice via my JustGiving link. A huge thank you to everyone who has donated and to my main sponsor, Chapman Ventilation, for paying for the production of leaflets.

Run Geordie Run Leaflets Back On The Menu

Regular readers will know how important I feel that my leaflets are for spreading the word and raising awareness. These leaflets offer a concise and powerful way to communicate the purpose of my events, the charitable cause I support, and how people can get involved or donate. In a world where information is often fleeting, having something tangible to hand out ensures that my message sticks with people even after the conversation ends. 

The leaflets provide key details that might otherwise be forgotten, making it easier for people to follow up, support St. Benedict's Hospice, or share the story with others. I’m pleased to report that I now have 1000 Run Geordie Run USA 2025 leaflets in hand (minus a few that I handed out this weekend). I’m really pleased with the final printed result. As you can see from the images below, it’s a tribute-fold leaflet that opens out, revealing an A3 map of the route across the USA. 

A huge thank you goes to main sponsor Chapman Ventilation for paying for the production of the leaflets.