Maidenhead schoolboy’s marathon challenge

Over the course of this week, 10 year old Elliott Wilkinson has challenged himself to run a whole marathon in order to raise vital funds for our children’s hospice service which supports him and his sister Pippa, who is 6 years old. He told us why he is doing it:

“My sister is 6 and has a life-limiting condition. One of the organisations that help care for her is Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service. I go to the siblings club there too, where I meet other children whose brother or sister has a life-limiting condition. I really enjoy activities they do and my sister loves going to the hospice for respite and day care. They, like other hospices throughout the country are still working hard during lockdown to provide important services and support for the children they care for.

“I have been watching Colonel Tom and how he raised so much for the NHS, and he has inspired me to do something to help raise money for Alexander Devine, so I’m going to try and run a marathon in 1 week. I worked out that’s at least 3.74 miles day!”

Elliot had set himself a target of £100 but has smashed this and raised nearly £3,000! Enough to fund over 78 community respite visits for Alexander Devine families.

Catherine Northup, an Alexander’s play specialist at Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service, congratulated Elliot on his inspiring endeavour:

“We are so impressed and incredibly grateful that Elliot has decided to take on this challenge. What an absolute champion he is, as well as being so thoughtful and kind. It is wonderful to see so many people supporting him in his efforts and he has already raised enough money to help fund nearly 40 specialist play session!

We have been so touched by how people throughout our community are finding ways to support us during this difficult time. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone that is helping us to continue to be there for the children and families that we support”

If you would like to support Elliot, please donate via his fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/elliot-wilkinson 

Need our help?

The word hospice should not seem scary and getting support from us doesn’t have to mean a child’s death is imminent. Helping to enrich the lives of the children and their families is at the heart of our service, our end of life and bereavement support is just a part of what we do.

Our children’s hospice service covers the whole of Berkshire and into surrounding counties. If you think your child may be eligible for our services, please do get in touch.

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One of the greatest and most precious gifts our charity receives is time 💙💛We are fortunate to have 155 amazing volunteers who collectively donate around 2,000 hours of their time each year. Without their vital support, we would not be there for children and families that need us. This #VolunteersWeek we will be celebrating what inspires our volunteers to make their unique contributions to our charity, whether at the hospice or out in the community. If our volunteers inspire you to gift your time, you can learn more about volunteering with our charity here: www.alexanderdevine.org/volunteer#InspiringVolunteers #localcharity ... See MoreSee Less
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It was lovely to welcome Jon Davey, Community Champion from Tesco in Dedworth Road Windsor, to our children’s hospice last week with a very generous donation of books for our next children’s book sale. We are so grateful for the ongoing support that Jon and his team give to Alexander Devine. Their kindness makes such a difference to our charity 💙💛Tesco #CommunityChampion ... See MoreSee Less
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With 3 weeks until #ChildrensHospiceWeek, will you help us #RockTheBlue?!🙋‍♀️ Sign up to receive your #RockTheBlue fundraising pack💡 Plan your blue themed activity or challenge💙 Raise money and make a difference to local children with life- limiting and life-threatening conditions 👉 Visit www.alexanderdevine.org/rocktheblue or email our friendly fundraising team for help with your BLUE-ming brilliant ideas: fundraising@alexanderdevine.org #fundraisingfun #localcharity #childrenshospiceservice ... See MoreSee Less
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Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service is the operating name of Alexander Devine Children’s Cancer Trust. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 5757493

Copyright © 2019 Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service. UK Registered Charity No. 1118947.