Team Tinathon 2021 raise more than £10,000 for Winchester Hospice

THEY’VE risen to a fitness challenge and pulled in thousands of pounds for two good causes in memory of a much-loved local marathon runner.

River Park in Winchester was the venue for the grand finale of Tinathon 2021 on New Year’s Eve – and many of this year’s participants turned out for a final workout or run to celebrate another successful year.

The Tinathon challenge was initiated in 2019 as a tribute to Tina Jury, a popular local marathon runner who lost her life to cancer. The event was organised by local PR consultant Miranda Rock Smith, who was again supported by personal trainer Heather Terry and a group of local fitness coaches.

As in previous years, people got involved locally, nationally and internationally. Each one paid £31 to take part, with the funds going to Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity, and pledged to do 30 minutes of exercise on every day in December. If participants missed a day, they paid a £5 ‘fine’ which went to Wessex Cancer Trust.

Miranda said: “I am delighted with the success of Tinathon 2021, and am grateful to everyone who took part or supported this year’s event.

“So far, more than £10,300 has been raised for Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity and a further £2,100-plus has been raised for Wessex Cancer Trust. This means that over the last three years, the Tinathon has resulted in more than £30,000 being raised for these two good causes, which is an awesome result.”

Miranda added: “It has been great to see hundreds of people taking part in Tinathon 2021. Once again, there has been a great amount of camaraderie and team spirit, with people posting pictures and encouraging messages.

“I am delighted that we have broken the £10,000 total for Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity this year and have also raised a further substantial sum for Wessex Cancer Trust. This has been a lovely way to honour Tina’s memory and support two local charities.”

Nick Vaughan, chair of Winchester Hospice Fundraising Charity, said: “Thank you to everyone involved in Tinathon 2021 for their great support for Winchester Hospice. This is a fabulous event and the fundraising support is much appreciated.”

Winchester Hospice, which opened in September, is run by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is located on the Royal Hampshire County Hospital site, in Romsey Road, Winchester. The hospice opened following the success of a £4.4million fundraising campaign. The charity now needs to raise at least £500,000 a year to ensure HHFT staff can deliver enhanced care and support to hospice patients and their loved ones.