Press release
14 April 2026
- Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) has a record 18 runners in this year’s London Marathon
- To date, they have raised £54,000 between them – another record
- The runners come from right across the country, as far afield as Nottingham and Windsor
- Almost all have experienced care first-hand at Addenbrooke’s or the Rosie, proof of the hospitals’ far-reaching impact
When he reaches the finish line of this year’s TCS London Marathon, the first person Jack Sibbons wants to hug is Chester, his nine-month-old nephew. The baby will be wearing a T-shirt printed with six simple words: ‘Addenbrooke’s saved my mummy and me.’
Chester’s mum, Jack’s twin sister Amy De Silva, was diagnosed with leukaemia at 10 weeks pregnant. Having put her tiredness down to being both pregnant and busy – juggling her job as a Cancer Specialist Nurse at Colchester Hospital with being mum to her two older boys, Hugo and Dawson, now 6 and 4 – the cancer was discovered during a routine blood test.
Needing immediate inpatient chemotherapy, doctors told Amy she might not be able to keep the baby. But – despite her going through four rounds of chemo and umpteen infections, including recurrent sepsis – Chester was safely delivered on June 29, 2025. Nine months on, both he and Amy, who is now in remission, are thriving.
“When you’ve been touched as we have by Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie – we’ll owe everything to them forever, quite honestly – it’s an honour to run the marathon for their charity, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT),” says Jack, 39, Operations Manager for his family’s plant hire firm in Colchester. “If I’m struggling, my sister and Chester will be the reason I finish. I’m emotional about crossing the line and we’re not there yet.”
As the official hospital charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, ACT funds cutting-edge equipment, specialist staff, extra comforts and pioneering research that help change and save lives, above and beyond what the NHS can provide.
To date, Jack, his family and friends have raised a staggering £37,000 for the trust, through sponsorship, a children’s Hallowe’en party and colour run, and a gala dinner and auction, which made £21,000 in a single night.
Now in its 45th year, the London Marathon – its iconic 26.2-mile route punctuated by the capital’s landmarks – has grown from 7,747 runners in 1981 to more than 50,000 today; of those collecting via JustGiving, Jack is currently number 12 on the fundraising leaderboard.
A couple of weeks before the marathon, both Jack and Amy returned to Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie site, with their mum, Sally Sibbons, Amy’s husband Greg and all three boys. As a surprise, the family was reunited with three members of the midwifery team that delivered Chester: Lead Midwife for Maternal Medicine Catherine Barlow, Deputy Lead Jessica Meadows and Midwife Shannan Bell.
Coming onto night duty just as Amy was being prepped for theatre and put under general anaesthetic to give birth, Shannan discovered she and Greg had their first wedding dance to Etta James’ At Last – so played it as Chester arrived in the world, recording the magical moment on video for his mum, dad and brothers to keep.
Meeting the family again for the first time since Chester was born, Shannan said: “We don’t often get to see mums and babies almost a year on, so it’s really special for us too. This birth obviously wasn’t as Amy would have planned; in those situations, being able to incorporate something significant to them as a family is lovely.”
Also running the Marathon for ACT is Steeple Bumpstead Continuous Improvement Manager Greg Sharland, whose eldest son Oscar, then 5, was treated for medulloblastoma, a brain tumour, at Addenbrooke’s over 2023 and 2024. Now coming up to his 8th birthday, he is “just a brilliant little boy”.
Says Greg: “Without this hospital’s support, their quick reaction, their experts, we wouldn’t be where we are today, simple as. Addenbrooke’s has proved it goes above and beyond. Running the Marathon for ACT is my opportunity to give back.”
In total, a record 18 people are running this year’s London Marathon for ACT. Between them they’ve raised an unrivalled £54,000, with donations still coming in.
Also running are Tom Coulter from Suffolk, whose father-in-law received a life-saving liver transplant; Josh Bentley from Lincolnshire, whose late mum was cared for during her melanoma battle; James Webster from Nottingham, whose dad is now cancer-free following treatment; Georgia and Nikki Basham from Windsor, running in memory of a family friend; and Joanne Grasby from Bedfordshire, who herself underwent liver resection surgery for adenoma.
Lizzie Noble is running in memory of her beloved dad, who spent time at Addenbrooke’s in his last months. Leighton Bannister has been inspired by daughter Elsie-Louise, helped by the hospital’s Paediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval Service (PaNDR), Mia Berry is supporting the charity because her mum’s life was saved at Addenbrooke’s in 2020, and Jenna Loades is a returning supporter, who also ran last year’s Cambridge Half Marathon for ACT.
Matt Allen, Director of New Hospital Construction for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and Cambridge Children’s Hospital, is among the runners. “Being so closely involved in building two hospitals that will transform care for patients and their families has motivated me to do something personal to support them,” he explains.
“That’s why I’m running the London Marathon this year and splitting the funds I raise between these two incredible projects. I know the patients who will one day walk through these doors show extraordinary strength every day, and I’ll be drawing on their courage to keep me going throughout the 26 miles.
“Training through the winter has been tough, but taking part in the Cambridge Half Marathon was a real highlight. The atmosphere was incredible and the support from the crowd gave me such a lift. I’m hoping for more of the same when I line up for the London Marathon.”
ACT also has four supporters taking part in the London Marathon MyWay, completing their 26.2 miles in their own communities. Proving that wherever you are, you can be part of something special, they are: Linda and Adrian Pepper, Gemma Salmon and Tasmin-Jane Channell.
Says Emily Willdigg, Community Relationships Manager, ACT:
“Our ACT London Marathon runners embody the very heart of our community, showing extraordinary dedication and compassion with every mile they will be taking on. Their efforts are going far beyond the finish line, as to date our team of runners have raised a phenomenal £54,000.
“This will help to fund vital care, groundbreaking research, and support for patients and families at Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals. We will be incredibly proud to stand and cheer alongside their friends and family on the day.”
Find out more about Jack and Amy’s story here and Greg and Oscar’s story here.
Applications for ACT London Marathon 2027 charity places go live on Monday, April 27, 2026. Click here for full details of how to apply. Click here to donate to Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust.
To donate to our fantastic runners, visit the links below
Georgia & Nikki Basham on Enthuse
Leighton Bannister on GoFundMe
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