Half marathons, cake sales and quizzes - how a Peterborough woman raised £20,000 for hospice

The BGL business analyst raised the huge sum as a ‘thank you’ to Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall for caring for her mum.

Holli set herself a goal to raise £5,000 to mark the 20th anniversary of her mum’s death.

But after reaching her target, Holli, 34, kept on fundraising - and this month reached the £20,000 milestone.

In the last two-and-a-half years Holli has run two half marathons, hosted numerous quizzes, a beer festival and appealed to colleagues’ sweet tooths with cake sales and tuck shops to reach her target.

She even managed to raise more than £2,600 for the hospice during lockdown with a special coronavirus appeal plus her own 2.6 Challenge event – part of a nationwide fundraiser in April to give struggling charities a boost in lieu of the London Marathon.

Holli, from Werrington, said: “I started fundraising as it was coming up to 20 years since my mum passed away in July 2018 and I wanted to mark the anniversary by raising £5,000 for the hospice which cared for her.

“I was just 12 when my mum died, but I remember how amazing the nurses and staff were and I just wanted to do more to help them because it has such a special place in my heart.

“After I managed that initial £5,000, I just carried on.

“Fundraising takes a lot of work, but I’m also lucky to have had such amazing support from family, friends, colleagues, my local pub, The Ploughman, and of course BGL which has matched my fundraising up to the value of £1,000 each year – which has made a huge difference.”

Holli’s incredible achievements have also been recognised by Peterborough City Council which awarded her a Community Involvement Civic Award earlier this year.

She added: “I won’t be stopping just because I’ve reached £20,000. The hospice means so much to me and it still needs money. I just feel proud to be able to make a difference.”

BGL has an office in Orton Southgate and a contact centre in Bretton and is home to brands including comparethemarket.com, Budget Insurance, Dial Direct and Beagle Street.

Sue Ryder’s Thorpe Hall Hospice, is one of BGL’s six charity partners, and in April BGL donated £100,000 to the hospice as part of its Empower, Pledge, Donate campaign – set up to support charities impacted by coronavirus.Charities and community groups affected by coronavirus and wishing to apply for funding should email [email protected] for a form.