RUHX, the official NHS hospital charity of the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH), is the Local Lead Charity at this year’s Bath Half Marathon on 17 March 2024.
RUHX has had places with the Bath Half since 2000, and runners have raised over £850,000 for the charity over the last 23 years.
In the October 2023 race, an extraordinary team of 67 runners raised over £35,000 for the hospitals. Runners took part for lots of different reasons: as a challenge following their own treatment, to say thank you to hospital staff, in memory of a loved one, or to raise funds for the ward they work on.
In 2024, RUHX is celebrating 25 years of helping the RUH do more for patients, families, hospital staff, and the local community. Since 1999, the charity has raised millions for new facilities including the Dyson Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2011, the RNHRD and Brownsword Therapies Centre in 2019 and the Dyson Cancer Centre, as well as projects such as the Art at the Heart programme, equipment to improve patient experience such as specialist MRI DVD players for children, and staff wellbeing programmes.
Hannah ran the Bath Half 2023 and said: “I wanted to support RUHX as the hospital has really helped my family and myself for different reasons: the cardiology department, the maternity department and the cancer department, and I really wanted to give something back to my local hospital.”
The charity is currently raising £2.3 million for a Robotic Surgery Appeal, which sees the introduction of a cutting-edge surgical robot that will transform the way the hospital is able to treat patients. Funds raised at the Bath Half will help to support life-changing equipment such as the robot.
Ellie Wilkinson, Events & Community Officer at RUHX, said: “We are so grateful to Andrew and the Bath Half team for choosing RUHX to be the Local Lead Charity at the Bath Half 2024. The Bath Half is a very special event, with an amazing atmosphere on the day, and we’re very proud to have been a charity partner since 2000. Every penny raised by our team of runners over the years has meant we can make a real difference for our community.”
Places are open to join Team RUHX at the Bath Half 2024. Sign up here