A trainee paramedic who won this year’s women’s Worcester City Half Marathon is continuing a family tradition of supporting a local charity by running 265 miles from Land’s End back to St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester.
Maddy Oswell, 22, from Grafton Flyford, was inspired to take on the challenge by her family’s connection to the hospice. Her dad has supported St Richard’s ever since they cared for Maddy’s Nan, Barbara Oswell, in 2012.
Maddy only took up running two years ago and ran the Worcester Marathon in 2025 to raise funds for St Richard’s in memory of her Nan and her maternal Grandpa, James Cavens. What began as a fundraising challenge has grown into a passion for endurance running. Maddy now regularly runs up to 100km a week in training and has completed two Backyard Ultra Marathons with another coming up in November. She won this year’s women’s half marathon in 78.13.
Maddy said: “This challenge is about so much more than the distance.
“I’m doing it for my Grandpa and Nan – two very special people who taught me to never give up and to keep going, no matter how tough things get.
“I’ve always wanted to do something like this to support the hospice. It’s scary but exciting. I don’t start something and not finish it!”
Maddy will run with her friend, George Jones, and the pair plan to set off on Wednesday, 16 December. They’ll be running for 12 to 13 hours a day for between four and five days and plan to arrive at the hospice on the Sunday before Christmas.
“I expect it to be hard mentally because it’s during December and there won’t be much daylight. We’ve chosen December just to make it harder. We like to say it’s character building!
“Christmas is also a special time when people remember their loved ones and those they’ve lost. I’ll be thinking of my Grandpa and Nan and everything they’ve taught me.”
Anyone who would like to support Maddy can visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/strichards265.
St Richard’s Hospice is an independent charity offering free, expert care for adults with an illness that cannot be cured, and support for their loved ones and carers.
Each year the hospice team supports more than 3,000 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.
It will cost in the region of £12m to run the hospice this year, which includes patient care and all the necessary support services.
St Richard’s relies on voluntary support, including from donations, gifts in Wills, retail and events for the majority of its income with the remainder funded by the NHS.
For more information about St Richard’s Hospice visit www.strichards.org.uk
