Hospice volunteer runs TCS London Marathon

Jenny Polhill, aged 31, from St Neots, is a volunteer at the Inpatient Unit at the Hospice.

She is also busy training for the London Marathon, on Sunday 26th April, to raise funds for the Charity and kindly shared her reasons why:

“I have volunteered as an Inpatient Unit Assistant for five years. I initially applied for a position as a Health Care Assistant but as this was my first role in healthcare I needed more experience. I noticed the Charity were looking for volunteers so I joined while I trained as a nurse!

Volunteering in the Inpatient Unit has brought me so much peace, perspective, purpose and happiness. I always wear my brightest dungarees when volunteering which seems to bring smiles to faces to patients, families, volunteers and staff.”

Nurse Training

“I enjoyed volunteering so much at the Hospice that I set up my last student nurse placement at the IPU throughout April 2025. I really appreciated the chance to work with the nurses as a Student Nurse and it was the placement I looked forward to the most.

Piotr Czosnyka, Library and Learning Resources Officer in the Charity’s library was very interested in all the studies I had found and supported me with literature for my dissertation topic – Palliative breathlessness.

The day I spent with Lynn Begley, Clinical Nurse Specialist, from the Hospice at Home Team, opened my eyes to how much the Charity does for palliative patients and their families in the community too.

For four years of my nurse training, I worked on the Oncology Ward at Addenbrookes Hospital, working closely with the Palliative care specialist nurses caring for those at the end of their lives. I feel it has been useful for me to be able to give patients, who were going to be transferred from Addenbrookes Hospital to Arthur Rank Hospice, information about what to expect at the Hospice, which gave them peace of mind. In some cases, I would see the same patients at the hospital and then a few days later at the Hospice, whilst volunteering.”

Motivation for the TCS London Marathon

“I signed up to run the London Marathon to raise money for the Charity as I know how important it is to patients and their families for the care to continue.

Running has become as much a part of my life as nursing, and now I’m qualified, I finally have the time to give back. I’ve always said I’d only run a marathon for a cause close to my heart – and for me, that’s Arthur Rank Hospice Charity. Running for #TeamArthur feels right – doing something meaningful for myself while supporting a Charity that gives so much.”

If you would like to support Jenny please visit her sponsorship page: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/jenny-polhill

If you would like to know more about running the TCS London Marathon, for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, in 2027 please visit arhc.org.uk/londonmarathon