Calling all marathon runners: Demelza Hospice Care for Children needs you!

Demelza, which supports children and families across Kent, South East London and East Sussex, has free places in the Dartford Half Marathon available for anyone who is running the London or Brighton Marathon for Demelza.

Demelza is the official charity partner of the race which takes place on Sunday 13^th March 2016 at Dartford Harriers Athletics Club in Cranford Road, Dartford at 9.30am.

As well as free places for marathon runners Demelza is also able to offer charity places for any keen runners.

Places cost £23 for UKA affiliated runners or £25 for unaffiliated runners and include a Demelza running vest, full fundraising support and a commemorative medal.

The Dartford Half Marathon celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2016 and a big entry is expected for the longest standing half marathon event in the county.

“Adding life to days when days cannot be added to life” is the ethos of Demelza Hospice Care for Children.

Demelza provides care and a place to play, relax and recharge, for more than 800 children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their families.

Both their 10-bedded hospice in Sittingbourne, Kent and their six-bedded hospice in Eltham, South East London offer a range of specialist services, including day care, short-stay care, symptom control, end-of-life care, psycho-social therapies and bereavement support for the whole family.

The care team is led by specialist children’s palliative care nurses and their facilities, which include multi-sensory rooms, soft play areas, a hydrotherapy pool – and The Inclusion Zone for teenagers – ensure children make the most of their stay at the hospice.

When a child dies, their families can use their bereavement suites, known as the Hop Garden in Kent and the Butterfly Suite in South East London, to let go and say goodbye at their own pace. They have multi-faith, quiet rooms for reflection or prayer for people of all faiths or no faith to use at any time whilst their child is with them.

In addition to residential care, the Demelza community team provides a ‘Hospice at Home’ care service for children and families in East Sussex, Kent and South East London.

Specialist paediatric community nurses go directly into the family home to provide day care, crisis intervention, an on-call service and respite, combined with short breaks and other services.

This flexible care provision enables families to live their lives in their own environment and take away some of the strain of caring for a life-limited child.

Parents have described having the opportunity of an undisturbed night’s sleep as pure luxury. The Demelza community team also offers the choice of 24 hour end-of-life care and gives medical help and expert advice in the home.

So why not give up just one day of your time for children that need it most, run the Dartford Half Marathon and do something that you will look back on with pride for many years to come?

For more information contact Gemma Murray, Events Co-Ordinator on [email protected] or 01795 845183.