Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice nurses swap uniforms for running shoes to raise vital funds during Great Eastern Run

Two nurses at Sue Ryder’s Thorpe Hall Hospice will swap their uniforms for running shoes this weekend to take on the Great Eastern RUn.

Lucy Worthington and Becky Eames are taking part in the half marathon to raise funds so the expert and compassionate care they help give can continue.

It will be the second time Sue Ryder Nurse of six years, Lucy Worthington, 43 from Peterborough, has taken part in the run for the charity.

Lucy said: “Completing the Great Eastern Run again will be a big personal goal for me. I have just finished a leadership and management diploma which took a lot of brain power and now it is time for me to put my energy elsewhere!

“I wanted to get back into running again and to support the charity too. The GER is a brilliant event and the atmosphere is just fabulous with so many people standing by on the side of the road cheering you on.”

“The last time I ran the event someone passed me a donation while I was running, which was brilliant.”

Lucy’s husband will be taking on the GER too, and between them the pair hope to raise £400. “I just hope that we raise as much money as we can so we can help Sue Ryder give more care for more people,” Lucy added. “I feel such a huge sense of achievement when doing my job. At Sue Ryder we bring people in for expert symptom management and support them and their family."

It's the second time around the flat, fast course for 47-year old Becky from Wansford too, who recently returned to nursing as a Staff Nurse on the Inpatient Unit at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

She said: “I did the Great Eastern Run quite a few years ago now, in 2011. It is a really friendly race and doing it for a charity and having others to run with you, fundraising for the same charity, will make it a great environment to run in. You get support all the way around and that is great.”

For Becky crossing the finish line in front of her husband and children, who will be there cheering her on, will be a real achievement.

“Although I have done some runs for charity before I have been out of running for a while and I have really wanted to get back into fitness and distance running again. The Great Eastern Run is a great opportunity to do that and raise funds at the same time.

“I see how important fundraising is to the charity so it is great to be able to get fit and raise funds at the same time. It is going to be a good feeling to have achieved this and for Sue Ryder.”

You can support Lucy and Becky by making a donation on their online giving pages at justgiving.com/becky-eames or justgiving.com/LucyandCarlGER22