Colin Kelly was inspired to support the hospice in memory of his late nephew Gabriel Constant-Kelly, who attended Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice. It was important to him to keep the memory of his late nephew alive.
“The hospice gave not only Gabriel a lot of support, but also his parents, my brother and his partner.”
“I wanted to give something back to the hospice as a thanks for all their hard work. At the same time as doing a run or activity, you can raise much-needed funds.”
“My reasons for fundraising for the hospice are twofold: one to help the hospice support other people who need it, and two to keep the memory of Gabriel alive. Gabriel’s memory will always be alive, but it gives a lot of comfort to me, my brother and his partner.”
Colin had fundraised in the past, but his new motivation to keep Gabriel’s memory alive drove him to push his limits, and he took on a number of challenges. In the space of just a year, Colin completed the Bike, Boats and Boots hospice challenge, the Great North Run and the Great Cumbrian Run, then decided to push himself even further by committing to 5 more runs in 2026, including the Edinburgh Half Marathon.
“Bike Boats Boots, that was the first one, and I dragged three of my work colleagues and friends along for the fun, which it was, it was great!”
The challenge Colin set himself wasn’t just in the training and recruiting, but in the fundraising. He champions the hospice through his challenges, often involving friends and colleagues.
Colin helps to bring in new supporters and fundraisers every time he takes on a new challenge. He once went as far as to ask a friend’s dog if he would be willing to sponsor him! His enthusiasm is contagious and inspires whole groups to push a little harder and become more involved. He regularly shares his training and fundraising efforts to encourage others to step up and raise those vital funds.
For Colin, it’s not just about the challenge; it’s the enjoyment he gets, and that is what brings him and his friends back year after year.
“That idea of celebration and community spirit, and that everyone gets involved. Even if you’re not running the event, people are there to cheer you on, or they’re there to offer you support, or, you know, a drink at the end!”
The hospice Fundraising team helped him throughout his fundraising efforts, and Colin appreciated the support.
“The hospice obviously helped us initially with the Just Giving page. But it was the regular contact, money boxes, top tips on how to raise money, you know, whether it was doing a bake at work or this, that and the other.”
Colin continues to share one of his top fundraising tips and revealed that his key fundraising success has been sharing the impact hospice care had on his family.
“I think, in some ways, by keeping it low key as well, by putting it out there every now and again, not in the face, and fully explaining why you’re doing it and what support the end goal is for it.”
“You know hospices are there, but you never really think they could affect you or your family and friends. Their services run day in, day out, 24/7 and I don’t think you really appreciate all the hard work that hospices do to give families support.”
“I’ve witnessed first-hand how much hospice care meant to my brother and his partner, giving them respite and the ability to stay at the hospice with little baby Gabriel. The nurses and support staff also came to Gabriel’s funeral and gave support then as well.”
Colin is continuing to fundraise for the hospice and is already making plans for future challenges. Next, he has decided to sign up for 5 events in a year, and plans to host one large-scale fundraiser to meet all of his fundraising targets. We’re so grateful to Colin for all he does, and we can’t wait to support his next adventure!
