Hartlepool man raises big total for town's hospice at the London Marathon

Steve Callaghan ran the Virgin London Marathon in aid of the charity and in memory of his mum Jo and father-in-law Peter.

He completed the 26.2-mile course in four hours and 21 minutes, raising an incredible £4,401 for the hospice’s patient care services, more than doubling his initial pledge to raise £2,000.

The hospice offers specialist care to hundreds of adults from Hartlepool and East Durham each year, some of them suffering from cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, motor neurone disease, end stage heart disease and Parkinson’s.

It costs £2.34million to provide the current range of services.

The hospice receives 24% NHS funding, so the outstanding £1,780,000 must be raised through the local community and other fundraising initiatives.

Greg Hildreth, a fundraiser at the hospice, said: “We would like to thank Steve, his wife Caroline and all the businesses and individual supporters for this remarkable amount raised.

“Steve did an absolutely incredible job and showed real determination in terms of preparing for the challenge and ensuring he made the most of his fundraising opportunities.

“Having met his family, I know how proud they are of his achievements and rightly so.

“Everyone who backed Steve has helped make a real difference to the lives of people in need of our support.”

As well as friends and family, Steve was also supported by the following businesses who kindly sponsored his running shirt: Acorn Landscapes, JT Atkinson, Exwold Technology, Peart Fencing, United Carlton and Wearside Contractors Ltd.