A marathon effort for a good cause!

At Care UK, we believe in supporting colleagues who go out of their way to raise money for those in need.

Christine Bond, the Team Leader at Care UK’s Property Service Helpdesk, wanted to raise money for a cause close to her heart. She set herself the challenge of running a marathon – a total of 26.2 miles - throughout April for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). These funds are to support the charity building a new cancer unit for children.

Great Ormond Street change the lives of thousands of children every single day, supporting patients, families, and staff through some of the greatest challenges a child can face. Christine knows this all too well, as her son was treated at GOSH between 2007 and 2019 following a condition he had from birth. She said: “GOSH means the world to me. I feel like we were extended family with every visit, and they were always so supportive of us.  I feel like I owe them everything.”

Christine has worked with Care UK for 25 years, turning her hand to many roles in our Colchester-based Support Centre throughout her career, including rising through the ranks in the Support Team before moving over to the Property Service Desk Team in 2020. Her determination at work is mirrored in her personal life, and she knew that taking on a marathon was the best way for her to support GOSH.

Christine has no cartilage in her right knee, and as a result of this she was advised not to take up running by a physio, but she knew she could do anything she set her mind to. To train she worked with a physical trainer at her local gym, who suggested due to her knee condition not to run outside but to complete the miles on a treadmill instead. She started to ease herself into running prior to April by walking at a fast pace first. She said: “The hardest part was pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and actually going for a run every day, and the calf cramps afterwards!”

To help keep her motivation up, Christine’s partner, her personal trainer and her son all hopped on a treadmill beside her to encourage every step. She said: “I was very emotional having my son complete this beside me as he is the main reason for completing the challenge. My heart just felt so warm.”

Christine raised a total of £459 thanks to her efforts, and later applied for Care UK’s Matched Funding scheme, which matches colleagues’ fundraising efforts up to £1,000. With the additional funding approved, her final donation to GOSH was £918. She said: “Care UK matching my donation means everything to me. I really feel humbled to have such a great support network surrounding me.”

Christine has discovered a newfound love for running and will be including it into all her future gym sessions. She said: “If you had asked me to run five miles in one hit back in March I would have laughed, but here I am doing it. It helps to watch a TV series at the same time!”

To celebrate her success of running 26.2 miles for GOSH, Christine and her partner relaxed in a hydrotherapy pool at a local spa and enjoyed a takeaway with a glass of fizz. Speaking about her feelings after completing the challenge, she said: “I was very emotional, and overwhelmed with the support and donations I received. My target was initially £150, but we exceeded that and raised a total of £459.”

If you think a job in the care sector, working alongside inspirational people like Christine, could be for you, you can read the full list of vacancies on the Care UK website - https://apply.careuk.com/