Kingsbridge Staff Complete Nine Marathons in Nine Days for Cancer Fund for Children
A team of healthcare workers from Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast have crossed the finish line of their final marathon this week, completing a remarkable nine-marathons-in-nine-consecutive-days challenge that has raised thousands of pounds for the Cancer Fund for Children — the charity that provides vital support to young people and families across Northern Ireland living with a cancer diagnosis.
Background
The Cancer Fund for Children has been a cornerstone of Northern Ireland's charitable landscape since its founding in 1989. The organisation provides a range of services to children and young people aged between zero and 24 who are affected by cancer, as well as their families. Its flagship offering is Daisy Lodge, a purpose-built therapeutic short-break centre in Newcastle, County Down, where families can recuperate and rebuild in a supported environment away from the clinical setting of hospital wards.
Fundraising is the lifeblood of the charity, which receives no statutory funding for its therapeutic services and relies entirely on the generosity of individuals, businesses, and community groups to sustain its work. In recent years, the charity has seen demand for its services increase significantly, driven in part by improved survival rates for childhood cancers — meaning more families require longer-term support through treatment and recovery.
Kingsbridge Private Hospital, which operates sites in Belfast, Sligo, and Dundonald, has a long-standing relationship with the Cancer Fund for Children, having supported the charity through various fundraising initiatives over the years. This year's challenge, however, represented the most ambitious undertaking the hospital's staff team had ever attempted.
Key Developments
The nine-person team — drawn from nursing, administration, physiotherapy, and management departments across the hospital — set off on their first marathon on Monday morning, completing a route through south Belfast before returning to work for their shifts. The challenge continued daily, with the team rotating lead runners and support roles to manage the physical demands of consecutive long-distance running.
By the time they crossed the finish line of their ninth and final marathon on Tuesday, the group had collectively covered more than 380 kilometres on foot. Speaking after the final run, team captain and senior physiotherapist Aoife Doherty described the experience as "the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done." She added: "There were moments on day six and seven when the legs were screaming at us to stop, but then you think about the children at Daisy Lodge and the families going through something so much harder, and you just keep moving."
The fundraising total, which was still climbing at the time of writing, had already surpassed the team's original target. Cancer Fund for Children chief executive Gillian Creevy praised the effort as "an extraordinary act of generosity and determination," noting that the funds raised would directly support therapeutic breaks for families at Daisy Lodge.
Why It Matters
Challenges of this nature serve a dual purpose that extends well beyond the money raised. They generate public awareness of the charity's work at a time when competition for charitable giving is intense, and they demonstrate the kind of workplace culture that healthcare organisations increasingly seek to cultivate — one in which staff feel connected to the communities they serve.
For the Cancer Fund for Children specifically, the timing is significant. The charity has been navigating a period of increased demand against a backdrop of rising operational costs, and every pound raised through community fundraising directly offsets the pressure on its reserves. The nine-marathon challenge is the third consecutive year that Kingsbridge staff have undertaken a major physical fundraising event for the charity, suggesting a deepening institutional commitment rather than a one-off gesture.
It is also worth noting the symbolic resonance of healthcare workers — people who spend their professional lives supporting patients through illness — choosing to push their own physical limits in solidarity with those facing the most difficult of diagnoses. That message is not lost on the families who benefit from the charity's services.
Local Impact
The Cancer Fund for Children's services are available to families across all five Health and Social Care Trust areas in Northern Ireland, from the Western Trust's catchment in Derry and Fermanagh to the South Eastern Trust's communities in Down and Lisburn. Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, County Down, is the primary therapeutic facility, offering residential breaks of up to five days for families at various stages of a cancer journey — from diagnosis through treatment and into survivorship.
For many families in Belfast's north and west, where deprivation levels are highest and access to private therapeutic services is most limited, the charity's free-of-charge model is particularly vital. The funds raised by the Kingsbridge team will contribute to maintaining that access for families who could not otherwise afford it.
What's Next
The Cancer Fund for Children's annual fundraising calendar continues through the autumn, with a series of community events planned across Belfast, Derry, and Newry. Kingsbridge Private Hospital has indicated that it intends to build on this year's challenge with an even more ambitious initiative in 2027. Donations to the Cancer Fund for Children can be made through the charity's website, and the team's JustGiving page remains open for contributions.
