Patrick Monahan to raise funds for stricken hospice

Patrick Monahan will run the Bupa Great North Run next month.

Monahan, who was raised in Teesside, will raise funds for local charity Zoe’s Place, which was forced to close this week following a water leak.

He will be joining an anticipated 56,000 runners in what is billed as the world’s biggest half-marathon to raise funds for the Middlesbrough hospice.

Zoe’s Place, which offers palliative, specialist respite, and end of life care for infants from birth to five years old, was forced to close this week when a tank in the roof space of the building leaked gallons of water into rooms below.

The building, in the Normanby area of Middlesbrough, was closed for health and safety reasons until the damage can be assessed by structural engineers.

Workers and fundraisers called the decision to close the hospice “heartbreaking.”

The charity, which needs £1.1m-a-year just to keep its doors open, saw a 20% shortfall in donations last year due to the recession.

You can sponsor Patrick Monahan’s fundraising for Zoe’s Place via his Just Giving page.