St. Joseph’s Hospice named official charity partner for Run Aintree 2025

St. Joseph’s Hospice in Thornton, Liverpool, has been announced as the official Charity Partner for Run Aintree 2025, with the first event kicking off this Sunday, 9 February.

Run Aintree will host five running events this year, with the very first one taking place this Sunday. Each event includes a 5k, 10k, and a Half Marathon, all at the world-famous Aintree Racecourse.

For over 50 years, St. Joseph’s Hospice has provided compassionate end-of-life care to families across Merseyside. In 2024 alone, the hospice cared for 139 patients and supported over 500 loved ones at its 31-bed facility on the outskirts of Crosby.

Run Aintree will also take place on 11 May, 20 July, 28 September, and 14 December.

The hospice is offering discounted registration to anyone who signs up for all five events and commits to raising money for the hospice.

Clare Waller, clinical director at St. Joseph’s Hospice, said:

“We are very excited to be this year’s Charity of the Year partner for Run Aintree and our fundraising team will be at each event to show their support to everyone who is running for Team St. Joseph’s.

“We need more support now than we ever have in our 50-year history because the hospice sector is facing a huge funding challenge.

“It costs £10,000 every day to fund the hospice care that we provide to our community and, as an independent charity, our care is free of charge.

“We believe that hospice care should be free and accessible to anyone with a life-limiting, end of life condition but, sadly, our costs are rising and the small amount of NHS funding we receive is continuing to fall.

“Taking part in an event like Run Aintree is so valuable to the hospice because your support will help to ensure that we are still here, caring for our community, for another 50 years.”

To find out more about the hospice, or to join Team St. Josephs at Run Aintree, visit www.stjhospice.org.uk, call us on 0151 932 6044 or email fundraising@stjhospice.org.uk.