Join “Team Eileen” and raise funds for St Francis Hospice in this year’s Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon

Eileen Dunne, who retired last year as a longtime Newscaster with RTE, will head up “Team Eileen” to raise funds for St Francis Hospice Dublin in this year’s Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon on Sunday 4th June.

Over the years the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon and its legion of hospice supporters have raised of €1.4m of vital funding for St. Francis Hospice.

The Health Service Executive provides the hospice with funding of €16.17m.

To maintain their high quality palliative care services and to progress with major and minor capital projects at both Raheny and Blanchardstown hospices, in 2023, they need to raise €4.5m.

They are very dependent on the deeply appreciated generosity of the local community to raise these funds.

Eileen Dunne is no stranger to the Women’s Mini Marathon, having run it in its very first year.

This year she’s walking and says, “I am delighted to participate in the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon on behalf of St. Francis Hospice Dublin. I would like encourage as many people as possible to join with me to raise funds for the vital care necessary for some of the most vulnerable and precious people within our society who are need of St Francis Hospice.”

To register for the event, participants should:

Step 1. Register at www.vhiwomensminimarathon.ie

Step 2. Sign up for a St Francis Hospice sponsorship pack (sponsorship cards, facemask, bookmark & T-shirt) online at www.sfh.ie or by phone on 01-8327535.

Eileen went on to appeal to people are unable to participate in the Marathon to call the hospice on 01-8327535 / 01-8294000 or go online www.sfh.ie and make a donation.

“No matter how big or small, it will all help.”

Fintan Fagan, CEO of St Francis Hospice added, “I’m very grateful to have Eileen’s support again this year for the Women’s Mini Marathon which continues, through our dedicated supporters, to raise much needed funds for St Francis Hospice.”

St Francis Hospice, Raheny and Blanchardstown, provides specialist palliative services at no cost to the nearly 700,000 people who live in North Dublin and the surrounding counties.

In 2022, they provided palliative care services to 1,932 patients and their families.

This care is provided in people’s homes or nursing homes, in our hospice in-patient units, and in their outpatient/day services settings.

They also provide bereavement support for family members.

In the last eight years, their number of patients has increased by 58%.

They say they expect an increase of an additional 700 patients per year by the end of this decade.

By 2050, the number of older people in Ireland requiring palliative care is expected to nearly double.