Ever wondered how many tube stations there are on the London Underground? It's a pretty good pub quiz answer to have up your sleeve, and fundraiser Stephen Moules is going to run to all 267 of them over a gruelling 22 day challenge which kicks off tomorrow, Saturday 5 September, to raise funds for Royal Trinity Hospice.
Ticking each station off in an unbroken sequence, Stephen will begin each day’s run where he finished the previous day. The 280+ mile route will see Stephen run 13 miles - about the length of a half marathon - on average every day for 22 days.
Stephen dreamt up the challenge as a way of supporting the hospice and will be joined and cheered on by friends and family on various legs of his journey. He is hoping his endurance challenge will raise £5,000 in aid of Trinity, the local hospice for south-west and central London, a charity which provides free specialist palliative and end of life care to over 2,600 people across seven London boroughs every year.
Tuberunner Stephen Moules said: “The pandemic has really hammered home the importance of end of life care. I was aware of Trinity’s excellent reputation through my girlfriend who visited in medical school and spoke so highly of her experience. After reading that they were really in need of financial support due to the negative impact of COVID-19 on their fundraising, I knew I wanted to support them.
“Not only does Trinity provide clinical care, they also run crucial services such as family counselling to ensure life can be lived to the full and loved ones can effectively prepare for life after bereavement. Everything they offer is geared to helping people make the most of every moment they have left and I want to support that. The theme of the challenge really ties in too – Trinity supports patients across a wide area of London so it feels like a great course to match with my challenge”
Like many other charities, the pandemic has had a serious impact on Royal Trinity Hospice’s ability to raise funds. Only 25% of the £15 million that it costs to run the hospice every year comes from the NHS. The rest is raised through fundraising and charity shops, which are only just now beginning to reopen after being closed for months. The charity has also had to cancel or postpone dozens of events and community activities and contend with the cancellation of events such as the London Marathon which last year alone raised £43,000.
Anthony Davison, Director of Fundraising at Royal Trinity Hospice said: “We’re constantly amazed by the challenges our supporters take on in aid of Trinity but Stephen’s Tuberunner challenge is especially impressive.
“Given the real financial challenges we have faced in recent months, it has never been more important to support local hospices and Trinity is no exception. The fact that Stephen has chosen to support us in this way is just fantastic. I would like to say a huge thank you to Stephen, to all his friends who will be joining him for a leg of his challenge and to everyone who has donated to support our outstanding care.”
Stephen’s challenge will begin at Chesham station on Saturday 5 September and conclude at Westminster station on Saturday 26 September. Stephen will be posting daily updates and photos of every station he visits during the challenge on Instagram: @tuberunner and you can see Stephen's route and read his blog at https://www.royaltrinityhospice.london/tuberunner
Donate to Stephen’s challenge at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tuberunner
- Tube Runner Stephen Moules.png (297.96 KiB) Viewed 788 times
