Seaside Half Marathon Raises over £160,000 for Local Hospice Care

June 10, 2025

Southend’s premier running event has attracted more than 2,400 runners to the sunny Southend seaside, raising over £160,000 for local hospice care.

Runners travelled across the county and country for the Havens Hospices Southend Half Marathon – sponsored by Utilize PLC – which took place on Sunday 8th June. The race started and finished in Shoeburyness, taking in views of the famous coastline.

Through registration fees and sponsorship, it’s estimated that the runners helped raise more than £160,000 for Havens Hospices, surpassing last year’s total, which will enable the charity to continue caring for local people of all ages living with incurable conditions.

The first male across the finishing line was David Smale from City of Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club, and the first female over the line was Charlotte Brooks from East Essex Tri Club. Southend Vox Choir and Essex Cosplayers provided post-run entertainment. Medals were handed out by members of the Fair Havens Care Team as their way of saying thank you for the runners’ support.

This year’s race was started by one special guest, Riley Moore, 8, who is supported by Little Havens. Riley’s younger brother, Mason, 5, was born with a rare genetic condition, and there is no cure. He was not expected to survive birth, but started breathing on his own after being taken off life support. As Mason’s complex condition means he is dependent on his family, they often visit Little Havens for therapies, activities and respite. Riley and Mason’s dad, Kris, 32, took part in this year’s event.

Mum Emma, from Chelmsford, says, “I ran the Southend Half Marathon a couple of years ago and now it’s Kris’ turn. The support shown by runners means so much to our family. Without Little Havens, we would feel really alone and unsupported. We have a lot of health professionals involved in our care, but Little Havens goes above and beyond. I know Riley felt honoured and proud to start this year’s race, because Little Havens is such a big part of our lives.”

Thanks to the money raised through events like the Southend Half Marathon, both Fair Havens and Little Havens can continue to provide specialist care to local families, both at the hospices and in the community. This is especially important as demand for the charity’s care is increasing, with a 13% rise in the number of people supported in the last year.

Havens Hospices also led a clap of honour at the start of the race in memory of people in the running community who have died, celebrating their lives and legacies.

Lucy Lock, Community Engagement Manager at Havens Hospices, said: “The support we have received for this year’s event has been incredible, reaching record numbers since the pandemic. We had more than 150 volunteers around the route, marshalling and handing out water, keeping our runners safe and cheering them on. Our volunteer pacers helped runners keep time, with Happy Stride displaying motivational messages on a giant digital billboard to keep participants pushing through, knowing that every mile was supporting local families.”

Havens Hospices must raise more than £124,000 each week, and relies on fundraising events like the Southend Half Marathon to keep its care services.

“It’s a real community effort to host such a big event like the Southend Half Marathon. Our thanks go to our sponsors Utilize PLC, whose team helped to sell our limited-edition Southend Half t-shirts and hand out winner trophies.

“Our vital water stations were sponsored by London Southend Airport and Finish Line Fund, with Essex and Suffolk Water supplying the water. Wagamamas in Southend supplied lunch for the volunteers at our Runners Village. Not forgetting the team of sports therapists, our medical team EMATS and the local residents and businesses for their incredible support on the day.”

The charity’s next running event is the Chelmsford Marathon and Half Marathon. More details at www.havenshospices.org.uk/chelmsfordmarathon