Well done and thank you to our Liverpool Half Marathon runners! 

Taking place on St. Patrick's Day, the Liverpool Half Marathon is a firm favourite in the lead up to the London Marathon, attracting participants eager to gauge their training progress as they near the final stages of marathon preparation. It is also a brilliant opportunity for runners who typically run shorter distances (or perhaps are not runners at all!) to work towards a longer distance goal and achieve something quite special.  

Selecting Mersey Cares as their chosen charity 

Both Joseph and Alice selected Mersey Cares from a list of charities displayed on the BTR registration form - and we really can’t thank them enough for their support. 

Joseph (pictured right after crossing the finish line), set a fundraising target of £200 but raised an incredible £304 for our charity. Speaking about his challenge – his second time running a Half Marathon – Joseph, said on his fundraising page: 

“I have selected Mersey Cares, a relatively new charity that aims to provide help for the people of Merseyside through specialist mental health and community services not normally available through NHS funding." 

One of the initiatives our charity supports is the Zero Suicide Alliance, which seeks to empower, equip, and educate individuals and organisations to support suicide awareness and prevention through accessible, free online training and resources.

Speaking to Mersey Cares after the event, Joseph said: 

“It was a great experience and I'm glad I managed to raise some money for Mersey Cares along the way. 

The run was really enjoyable on the whole with great weather and a whole load of people! I started relatively strong with a nice consistent pace and maintained that rhythm for well over an hour, but I was beginning to hit a wall in Sefton Park which seemed to be never-ending, until of course it did end. Once I got to Otterspool Prom I was finding my stride again and I knew that I was over halfway and on the home stretch but unfortunately my ankles were beginning to hurt and play up so I had to drastically slow my pace.

Nevertheless, I managed to pass the line and still smile afterwards, and though it was drastically slower than the target time that I set myself, I was still delighted that I passed the line and beat my fundraising target for Mersey Cares which is what will make the difference. Overall a great couple of tiring hours and certainly a run to remember, maybe I'll even do it again next year!” 

Read more about Joseph's fundraising journey here

Our second runner, Alice Brown, also exceeded her fundraising target raising £459 for the charity. We’re incredibly touched that she chose to run her first official marathon for Mersey Cares.   

Alice decided to run for Mersey Cares because of our charity’s support for specialist services in physical and mental health, learning disabilities and addiction. Ahead of the event, Alice wrote on her fundraising page:

“I’m running my first official half marathon in the city I am proud to call my new home. It's one way to get to know the place!

“They [Mersey Cares] support the education and awareness surrounding mental health and suicide prevention and do more to fund enhanced support services usually outside the scope of the NHS. 

 They need funds and people need care. Simple!”

Up next: The BTR Liverpool Mersey Tunnel 10k 

If you'd like to take on a running challenge in aid of Mersey Cares, the Mersey Tunnel 10k is taking place on April 14 and we're looking for fundraisers! The Tunnel takes runners on a journey of just over 3K before exiting on the Wirral side of the river before the course makes it's way along the Dock Road and the Seacombe Ferry terminal at the half way point.

The second half of the race takes runners along the promenade overlooking the River Mersey showing off the impressive Liverpool skyline at it's best. Find out more and register here

Why donate to Mersey Cares? 

As the dedicated charity of Mersey Cares Foundation Trust, Mersey Cares supports some incredible local and national initiatives that tackle health inequalities, challenge stigma and enhance the patient experience. These include supporting mental health and community services for people across Merseyside and Cheshire as well as national initiative the Zero Suicide Alliance to provide and develop potentially lifesaving suicide awareness and prevention training videos for FREE to people across the UK. 

A huge thank you from Mersey Cares and Mersey Cares Foundation Trust 

We’d like to thank Joseph and Alice for taking on this incredible challenge in support of our charity – and to all the people who cheered them on and supported with donations.  

Want to donate? Every donation, no matter how big or small, can help us to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our service users, patients and staff.  You can also support us by registering to a fundraising event or hosting your own fundraiser.