Become a Helen & Douglas House hero and run the 2026 Oxford Half Marathon in support of your local children’s hospice.
Whether you’re new to running, running for fun or chasing a personal best, the Oxford Half Marathon is the perfect challenge for every level.
Taking in the highlights of Oxford, this 13.1 mile route will see you through the heart of this historic city and it’s most popular landmarks such as the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera, and many of the Oxford University’s world-famous colleges.
Registrations for our 2026 Oxford Half Marathon charity places are now OPEN!
Run with us to raise £200k to help cover the cost of a bed for a whole year
This year, Helen & Douglas House children’s hospice is the Oxford Half Marathon’s Headline Charity Partner, allowing us to put together our biggest ever team.
With over 300 people running for the Charity, we’re hoping to raise an amazing £200k from sponsorship in 2026. This could help cover the cost of a bed for a whole year.
Help us reach our target. Sign up to run the Oxford Half Marathon in support of Helen & Douglas House today.
Run for Helen & Douglas House in 2026
Secure a charity place.
Sign up to run the Oxford Half Marathon in support of Helen & Douglas House. £25 registration fee and £250 minimum fundraising commitment.
Join our team with your own place
The public entry ballot launched on 14th October. If you secure a spot through the race organisers, we’d be thrilled to welcome you to Team Helen & Douglas House. There’s no required fundraising target; simply raise as much as you can.
Please only select this option if you already have your own Oxford Half Marathon place for 2026.
Gemma's Half Marathon
At five months old, Gemma’s son, Jago, was diagnosed with an incredibly rare genetic condition called CACNA1E. Helen & Douglas House quickly became a vital support system for the family, providing expert care and a space filled with compassion, comfort and cherished memories. Jago died in November 2024 at just 18 months old.
Gemma ran the Oxford Half Marathon in 2025 in support of Helen & Douglas House.
“It was so tough, but I am so happy I finished and got over the line. Every time I was struggling, I just thought of Jago and all the children & families at Helen & Douglas House, and it kept me going.
The Helen & Douglas House team were incredible; it really was the boost I needed to give me that last push at the end. It was really emotional for me, and I just burst into tears when I saw you all!
It was an amazing day and I will remember it forever.”
Make memories while making a difference
FAQs
How will my donation be used?
Every donation kindly made toward the sponsorship of our Oxford Half Marathon 2026 runners will go towards funding the cost of our care, as well as other areas of our work, wherever the need is greatest.
We have provided a cost example of £200,000 to illustrate the costs required to cover a nurse covering one bed, day and night, at a maximum possible occupancy rate, throughout a whole year. This is an illustrative example, and your donation could support this area, or a different area, of our service. You can read about all the wonderful ways that Helen & Douglas House supports local terminally ill children and their families here.
Why do we have a target of £200,000 for the Oxford Half Marathon 2026?
This year, we are extremely proud to have been selected to be the Headline Charity Partner for the Oxford Half Marathon 2026. This allows us to put together our biggest team to date, with over 300 runners expected to fundraise for Helen & Douglas House this year. With this size team, we are optimistic we can raise a massive £200,000, towards our vital work.
What does it mean to help cover the cost of a bed for a whole year?
To demonstrate the impact your support could have, we’ve set our fundraising target based on the cost of a nurse covering one bed, day and night, at maximum occupancy for a year. Many of the children who come to the hospice need dedicated one-to-one care to ensure their complex needs are met throughout their stay.
There are times when the hospice will be closed to planned respite or symptom management stays, such as during staff training or for some national holidays – however, this does not apply to emergency or end-of-life care which are available 365 days a year. In order to ensure our teams have the flexibility to respond to urgent care needs some bed availability will be kept for emergency use only. Therefore, overall occupancy rates will be determined by the needs of the children we support.
What happens to donations received after the target has been reached?
Any kind donations received after the target has been reached will fund even more care for children and families at Helen & Douglas House, as well as all other areas of work, wherever the need is greatest.
What happens if we don't reach our £200k target?
The sponsorship towards this event falls under our ‘unrestricted funds’, meaning donations go toward wherever the need is greatest within the charity. Every pound raised makes a real difference. If we don’t reach the £200k target, please know that:
- Your sponsorship will still go straight to supporting our work – it won’t be restricted to one area but will help cover the total costs of our charity, providing care and support where it is needed most.
- Any shortfall will not affect our ability to provide a bed for a year – we remain committed to delivering this essential support regardless of the fundraising outcome.
- Every pound raised helps us keep our doors open and provide safety, comfort, and hope.
Thank you for standing with us. Together, we can make sure people get the support they deserve.
What are the total costs of Helen & Douglas House?
Helen & Douglas House depends on public donations to fund hospice care at our hospice, in hospital, and at home, as well as the essential running costs that keep us operating safely and sustainably. These include support services like Housekeeping, Catering, Maintenance, HR, Marketing, Fundraising, utilities, and charity shop costs such as rent – all vital for delivering high-quality care to local terminally ill children and their families.
For the year ending March 2025, our total costs were £12.48m, including £6.02m for hospice and outreach services. Only around 11% of our income comes from government funding, meaning we rely almost entirely on public support to provide care and the services behind it.