A sports therapist is running 253 miles to raise money for a children’s hospice charity.

Alex Bance, of Spire Injury Clinic in Salisbury, will be running the distance between the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and two ‘Julia’s House’ children’s hospices in Dorset and Wiltshire, completely unaided, all to raise money and bring attention to the charity.

Julia’s House was set up in 2003, and was named in memory of the late Julia Perks, a Great Ormond Street Hospital Nurse who had started fundraising to set up both of these hospices, but unfortunately died of cancer before her work was finished.

Alex, who has chosen to name his upcoming Trek ‘Julia’s Journey’ in honour of Julia and her career, is starting at the Great Ormond Street Hospital before running to the Dorset Hospice, and then on to the Wiltshire Hospice to finish.

Alex BanceAlex Bance (Image: Alex Bance)

Alex has previously gone above and beyond to continuously raise money for the charity, as only last year he ran 72 miles around a track blindfolded, wearing noise cancelling headphones.

He said: "I ran 24 hours completely deaf and blind, setting a world record. It’s getting harder to top it each year." 

He is planning to conquer a distance of 253 miles, with an elevation climb of 16,000 feet, all to raise money and bring attention to the charity, which is 95 per cent dependent on donations.

To find out more information, and to donate and follow ‘Julia’s Journey’, the JustGiving page is justgiving.com/page/alex-bance-1719853863458

  • This article was written by Molly Keane, from the University of Winchester.