Mum’s marathon effort to raise funds for Hospiscare

A mother-of-two from Exeter will take on the race of her life for Hospiscare in October when she completes the York Marathon in memory of her father.

40-year-old Natalie Roberts has been training for her first ever marathon over the past few months and is hoping to not only cross the finish line on 20 October but also to raise money for the charity who looked after her dad in his final days.

Despite being naturally sporty, Natalie has never competed in a long distance run but said that she wanted to give something back to the charity who had shown her father and her family such support.

Natalie said: “I’ve always been a runner; I run two to three times a week for four to five miles to keep fit but I’ve not competed for 20 years.

“I haven’t set a time target; for me it’s not about a target it’s about finishing, doing the run in the memory of dad and raising money for Hospiscare.”

Natalie’s father, John Shorland, was a popular businessman in Exeter. His heating and plumbing business Sandford and Shorland, which was set up in the 1980s, made him a well-known figure in Exeter.

John lived in Exeter all of his life and it was a shock to many when he died at the Dryden Road hospice on 2 October, 2012 - just two weeks after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Natalie said: “The whole episode last year was quite a shock; Dad had had a brain haemorrhage in July 2012 but we had no idea he had cancer. 

“He was slowly recovering and we spent a lot of time going to see Dad, but he had lost a lot of weight and wasn’t making good progress. We had just heard that he was recovering from the haemorrhage only to be told he had bowel cancer.

“Dad’s cancer was a complete shock, so we were coming to terms with that but we were amazed by the level of care Hospiscare provided.”

Natalie went to school in Exeter before completing a sports science degree at Loughborough University. She now lives in Yorkshire with her husband Marc and two daughters who will be supporting her on the day.

Natalie’s mum Joan will also be joining her on the day, travelling from her home in Exeter to watch Natalie run for the charity who cared for her husband.

Natalie said: “The marathon is quite timely because it’s a year since dad died. Dad would think I’m bonkers. He’ll probably be looking down saying what are you doing?

“We’ve been fairly fortunate as a family that we hadn’t experienced a hospice before so we didn’t know what to expect from Hospiscare, but the support they offered to Dad and to my mum especially - nothing was too much trouble.

“Mum was amazed at how fantastic everyone was; they looked after dad so well in the last few days of his life. In something so terrible they gave us such support and I can’t thank them enough.”

Natalie is hoping that people who knew John will want to support her marathon effort and make a donation to Hospiscare.

She said: “I would be so grateful if people who remember Dad or know Mum, me or my Sister Rachel or Brother Steve, could donate to my just giving page or by sending a cheque to Hospiscare.

“I really want to appeal to anybody who knows our family to please make a donation, however big or small, to this fantastic charity that really cared for Dad and our whole family.”

For more information about Natalie’s run or to donate visit www.justgiving.com/Natalie-Roberts12.