Despite blood, sweat and tears – quite literally – Adam’s commitment to St Barnabas has never faltered. Even falling face-first onto the pavement while running and raising money for the Hospice wasn’t enough to put him off his stride!
Despite his propensity for falling over, Adam took on his first Great North Run in September 2004 and hasn’t looked back since. Not only did it mark the start of his running journey, but also a lifelong commitment to St Barnabas.
The charity came into Adam’s life at just 21 years old when we had the honour of caring for his mum whilst also supporting Adam, his brother, and his father. Adam’s dad, John, was the first in the family to generously give his time and money to make sure others could receive our hospice care. John regularly organised sponsored walks in his village and in 1992 he started the now-infamous annual Wine and Wisdom fundraising event. But it wasn’t long until Adam caught the fundraising bug too.
Despite being a novice runner, Adam took on the gruelling 13.1-mile challenge. His friends and family were only too happy to see him put himself through his paces, so were generous in their sponsorship! In fact, they’ve been by his side – some in spirit and others in person – every year for the past eighteen as he’s pounded the pavements in the Great North Run in honour of his mum and for St Barnabas.
Adam has raised tens of thousands of pounds to help us keep caring for people like his mum and received a well-deserved Supporter of the Year for Outstanding Contribution Award a few years ago. And it seems there’s more to come from Adam! Much to his concern, he was overheard saying he won’t stop until he’s completed 25 Great North Runs. In line with family tradition, Adam is hoping perhaps his sons might take over the baton if his knees don’t last the distance!
In his own words…
“It came home to me one year when someone stopped and asked me if I was doing the Great North Run again because they hadn’t seen the sponsorship link. It rocked me on my heels. And I realised just how embedded St Barnabas is in the community. Its care has touched so many families, and it takes a very special organisation and group of people to do that.”
To see all 40 Faces and their stories, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/40faces