Ann to take on London Marathon to mark 50th birthday

12 December 2018

A Pharmacy worker at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford will be taking part in next year’s London Marathon to mark her 50^th birthday.

Ann Ridgway will be tackling the 26-mile course to raise money for the Severn Hospice.

Ann said: “In 2019 the Hospice turns 30 and I will be 50. To mark this milestone I want to do something that challenges me and helps to raise money for a local charity that is very close to my heart.

“Since the hospice opened its doors in 1989 my family and friends have been on the receiving end of the wonderful care and support given to both patients and families. Both my grandad and my uncle received superb care at the hospice and were made comfortable in their time of need.

“My work in the Pharmacy Department also brings me into contact with the Severn Hospice. Since applying for my place last April both my godmother and former work colleague Julie Dawe, who many members of staff at PRH will remember, passed away at the Hospice which is why I now want to smash my fundraising target.”

Ann started running five years ago.

She said: “I’m no hare and the thought of being on my feet for more than six hours terrifies me but I know I can make it to the finish line.”

Ann will be holding a cake sale in the main corridor at PRH on Monday. She has also set up a Virgin Money Giving Page for donations at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AnnRidgway1

Ann will be joined at the start line in London by two other colleagues from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the PRH and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH).

Resuscitation officer Nicola Bishton will be raising money for St John Ambulance, while Charlotte Worrall, who works as a Breast Imaging Data-Coordinator at RSH, will be raising money for the British Lung Foundation in memory of her nan, Gwen Parker.