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Andrew’s marathon achievement

28th January 2021

Meet Andrew, who has been going the distance to fundraise for Sobell House!

This week we wanted to introduce you to Andrew Smith, who has been going above and beyond in his fundraising efforts to help support Sobell House, after his friend, Amy, received care and support from our team. We spoke to Andrew about his incredible fundraising challenge, and here’s what he had to say;

“I think every single person in Oxfordshire knows someone who has had their lives impacted positively by Sobell House.

I have been a runner for nearly a decade and have been fortunate to have run in marathons both in the UK and Europe. One benefit of marathon running is that it can be combined with fundraising for causes that are close to your heart. At the start of 2019, Sobell House cared for my friend Amy, not only providing care and support to her, but also helping to arrange her marriage to Kevin. Following this, the hospice has since been there for other family friends of mine, and many people have also shared their stories on how vital Sobell have been to them and their family. Because of the way that the hospice helped I wanted to give something back to thank them for being there for those who needed support.

In early 2020 I joined the Sobell House London Marathon team, training to take on the 26.2 miles around the capital, as well as the Manchester Marathon. Sadly, these were postponed due to the pandemic, but we did complete the London Marathon virtually. With racing not due to resume, I instead decided to run a marathon distance for every Oxford United league win this season. So far I have completed 11 marathons since October 2020 with more to come. The support of friends, family and also of Oxford United and their fans have seen us raise nearly £4,000 for Sobell House, smashing my target of £2,000. There are still twenty-three games left this season, so the running shoes are ready for many more miles yet”.

The funds Andrew has so kindly raised could help us in many different ways, from purchasing specialist medical equipment, to funding homecooked and delicious meals for our patients to enjoy. Knowing we have the support from people like Andrew has made such a difference to us in these challenging times, and we would like to say a huge thank you to him for all he has done.

We wish him and Oxford United the best of luck for the rest of the season – here’s hoping for some more wins!

If you would like to support Andrew, please click here.