Francis House runners flock to Great Manchester Run

More than 120 fabulous Francis House runners conquered the streets of Manchester at this year’s Great Manchester Run, each one united in raising funds for Greater Manchester’s children’s hospice.

Our hospice runners were amongst almost 40,000 people who lined up with elite athletes and fun runners for either the 10k or longer half marathon course.

Benefitting from some great afternoon weather, individual supporters, corporate groups, parents and family members, and even our very own Francis House hospice care team pushed themselves to the limit to raise more than £25,000 for Francis House.

Among those taking part were teams from Alexander & Co, Apollo Scientific, DLA Piper, Gleeds, Horwich Farrelly, Joseph Holt, John Lewis, Syngenta, Stonebond Properties, and Cardinal Partnership plus those running in memory of loved ones.

Giving Back

Andrew Roberts ran the 10k in memory of his cousin Ethan Wright who came to Francis House for respite care. Andrew was joined by relatives and friends and between them they raised £3,306 (including gift aid) on JustGiving.com

Andrew said: “We all did better than expected, especially as none of us are regular runners. It was a brilliant atmosphere on the day and a real sense of achievement crossing the finish line. We’re absolutely delighted to have raised so much for Francis House. It means even more having seen first hand the fantastic support they provide.”

Gareth McClelland also ran the 10k to give something back to the charity that has supported his family, including son Theo, for a number of years. Gareth raised £ 1,614 (including Gift Aid).

Gareth said: “It was a pleasure to run and fundraise for Francis House. There was a real buzz at the start of the run with the music and large number of spectators. It was brilliant to see the Francis House supporters near Old Trafford and that gave me more energy for sure.

“The supporters certainly helped me over the finish line with their words of encouragement. Theo loves the attention and first class treatment he receives at Francis House, and it helps Lydia and I to recharge the batteries to support all of our boys as much as possible.”

Race Ready

Nine members of the hospice care team put in miles of training in preparation for the run and kept themselves motivated with a WhatsApp group. Seeing first hand the difference the services provided by the hospice makes to the families, the team raised £2,492 (including gift aid).

Francis House is one of four charities benefitting from a year long fundraising initiative by local brewer Joseph Holt. Two brewery drayman Steve Reeves and Sam Highman not only ran the 10k as part of a team in aid of Francis House, but the duo completed hundreds of press-ups each day outside every pub on their delivery round as a way of getting fit for the run and to raise additional donations.

The pair have become known as “The Press-Up Guyz” and have dropped to the ground outside nearly all of Joseph Holt’s 127 pubs across Manchester and the North West. Their energetic fundraising efforts continue on Facebook.

Phil Parkinson, head brewer at Joseph Holt Brewery, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Sam and Steve and everything they’ve done for this year’s appeal. We know their tremendous efforts will raise lots of money for such a deserving cause as Francis House.”

Half Marathon

A number of runners took on the 13.1 mile (21.0975 kilometres) half marathon. They included YouTube runner Ollie Drieu who despite missing out on his goal of finishing in under an hour and a half by five minutes, still described the event as ‘unforgettable’.

Long-standing hospice supporter and runner Phil Lee, bumped into a friend at the bag drop and upon hearing of her ambition to finish in 1 hour 45 minutes, Phil offered to set the pace. With a sprint finish Phil and Elaine crossed the line in an impressive 1:38:30.

Francis House Children’s Hospice supports more than 435 families from across Greater Manchester. In addition to respite care, the teams at the hospice also provide homecare and community support. The total running cost of Francis House per year is £5.8 million.

All funds raised from the run will help towards providing care for children, teenagers and young adults with life-shortening or life-threatening conditions as well as professional care and support to their families.

If you can picture yourself crossing the finish line for Francis House and would like to take part in next year’s event on Sunday 23rd May 2027, contact Patrick via email pstorey@francishouse.org.uk or call 0161 443 2200 to secure your discounted charity place in the 10K or Half Marathon.