Helen & Douglas House has been announced as the Headline Charity Partner for the 2026 Oxford Half Marathon, which will take place on Sunday 11 October 2026.
The Oxford Half Marathon is one of the UK’s most popular running events and sold out in record time last year, with 13,000 participants registering. The event is also a major fundraising platform for charities, with the 2025 Oxford Half raising more than £1.2 million for its charity partners.
Helen & Douglas House has been involved with the Oxford Half Marathon since 2011, and runners supporting the charity in the 2025 event raised over £68,000. This funding could support an Outreach Nurse for an entire year, enabling vital care for families at home, in schools and in hospitals.
As Headline Charity Partner for 2026, the Oxford-based children’s hospice will have the opportunity to raise even more funds to support terminally ill children and their families across the region.
The partnership was officially launched when representatives from Motiv Sports UK, organisers of the Oxford Half Marathon, visited Helen & Douglas House in November, meeting Chief Executive David Whittingham, care staff and some of the children supported by the hospice.
Cara Humphreys, Charity Partnerships Manager at Motiv Sports UK, said:
“Witnessing the amazing work of the Helen & Douglas House team was truly inspirational and I want to take a moment to congratulate everyone involved for the amazing work they do.
“We’ve had the pleasure of knowing the charity well for many years, and have always been impressed with their fundraising efforts, which is one of the many reasons why we’re so delighted to announce Helen & Douglas House as the Headline Charity Partner for the Oxford Half Marathon 2026.
“We look forward to working closely with them and to see their dedicated supporters and fundraisers take part in the Oxford Half Marathon next year.”
David Whittingham, CEO of Helen & Douglas House, said:
“It was a real pleasure to meet with Oxford Half Marathon team at the hospice. We are so delighted to have been chosen as the headline charity partner for their 2026 half marathon which will help us increase awareness of Helen & Douglas House, the vital care we provide and why we need runners to take part to raise money to help local families.
“We are so grateful to all our 2025 runners for raising money for us and look forward to having an increased number of places for the 2026 event through this great new partnership.”
In 2026, the charity will have more places than ever before, giving more runners the chance to join the Helen & Douglas House team. Among those fundraising in 2025 was Gemma Cole from Bicester, who ran in memory of her son, Jago.
