Caring dad’s marathon run raises vital funds for hospice

A father of two from Conwy County has raised a fantastic sum for North Wales’ only children’s hospice.

In December 2025, Iain Burgess of Llandudno Junction, took on the Valencia Marathon, having only ever ran one marathon before almost 15 years ago!

The dad-of-two had self-funded his Spanish mission after being touched by the work the hospice does in the community.

He shared: “I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a child with a life-threatening condition and what families would face day to day.

“I really wanted to show support for Tŷ Gobaith.

“I decided to start fundraising and through my training for the Valencia Marathon, took part in races around North Wales to kickstart the sponsorship.

“My employer, RWE very kindly match-funded me pound for pound up to £500 which was very generous and helped massively towards our total.

“I have only ever run one marathon before back in 2012 and clocked a time of 4hrs 9min – my goal is to knock an hour off this.”

Iain raised an impressive £1,619 and finished the race in 3hrs flat.

He visited the Conwy Valley hospice in early January for a tour of the facilities and to present his cheque.

He was hosted there by fundraiser, Sian Golding, who said: “Without people like Iain, life would be much harder for so many local families who raise a child with a life-threatening condition.

“Every penny he raised with his impressive effort will help us make quality moments and memories for our families and help us keep providing the vital respite parents need.

“A huge thanks to Iain and RWE for the match-funding.

“You’re stars.”

The Valencia Marathon is renowned as one of the fastest in the world, with many entrants finishing in under 3hrs.

Iain enjoyed it so much that he has even signed up to do it again this winter – good luck Iain.