Meet Aaron: our Bereavement, Listening & Talking Therapies Manager. This April he’ll be supporting our patients not only via his day job, but by pounding the pavements of the capital as he takes on the TCS London Marathon as part of our Rennie Grove Peace team.
Aaron explains:
“I’ve always enjoyed running and completing the London Marathon has long been in the back of my mind as something to aim for. I’ve applied for ballot places in the past but this year I decided to apply for a Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care charity place.
“I work here as a counsellor and the manager of the bereavement, listening and talking therapies service. I see every day the great work that the charity does for local people living with a life-limiting illness, and those who are dealing with a bereavement, so I feel really passionate about raising money to support the charity.
“Taking on this challenge also gives me an opportunity to shine a light on the bereavement, listening and talking therapies service. Through my fundraising – both with colleagues and people outside the organisation – I have a platform to explain more about what the service is and how it helps local people.
“I have a young child and a full-time job so fitting in the training for a marathon can be a bit tricky. I manage to do it by being structured and protecting the time that I block out for training. Of course a challenge of this size is not just about me – I couldn’t do it without the people who support me, like my wife who keeps everything going at home while I’m out for long training runs!
“I enjoy the training as it means I have some time that’s just for me. I love to get out in the great outdoors and have time to clear my mind and think.
“There’s a whole team of runners taking on the TCS London Marathon for Rennie Grove Peace and it has been great to build up a support network there. We all keep in touch and share notes on things like training, injuries and fundraising. That’s a great bonus of running for a charity team – there’s a real camaraderie and it’s very inspiring to hear other people’s reasons for running.
“My fundraising target is £2,500 and I’m aiming to reach that through a mixture of sponsorship and events. I’ve also been hosting bake sales and a raffle at work to really boost my fundraising total!”