Carla's Story

Carla Ferdinando will be running in memory of her much loved and missed father, Don Ferdinando, but she won’t be taking part alone. Here, Carla explains how the 10K helped reignite her passion for running and how she has inspired others to challenge themselves to take on Hospice Run on the 22nd September 2019.

Don Ferdinando, who passed away in December 2016 is missed not only by his family and friends but also those that he worked with as a swimming teacher, in particular at Tonbridge Swimming Club. “Swimming was a big part of his life, he loved teaching!” Carla remembers “I used to swim with him about five times a week growing up. The club at Tonbridge Swimming Pool have done a memorial book for him with messages from members past and present which is amazing! The Royal Life Saving Society have even made an award for his rookie lifeguard teaching called the rookie cup which is dedicated to him and given out each month. We have been invited to present the first one in September which I am very much looking forward to!” Duncan, a lifeguard who worked with Don at Tonbridge Swimming Pool remembers “He always used to give us trivia on poolside to help keep us entertained. He once asked me to work out the amount of water in the fitness pool. I tried for hours and still got it wrong! He was a great teacher and a pleasure to work with.”

“After my father passed away in December  I decided to do the 10K run as a thank you for all the care the Hospice in the Home team had given my father and the support the Hospice has given me. The whole experience was a real life changer and I am so grateful for everything the Hospice has done. ” Carla recalls “I used to be a runner but lost the motivation to run a while ago. But when I saw the Hospice Run I rediscovered my motivation and I have been training ever since. I signed up as soon as I could and my motivation hasn’t faded.”

Carla not only found her own motivation but also inspired others to join her on our challenging 10K Route “I am a personal trainer based in Crowborough and when I signed up for the race a few people from the Stronglife Gym I work at said they would like to do it too so I decided to write a training programme and offer it as a 12-week course to build up to the race. I decided to coach one session a week and give them homework in between. Rather than pay me I asked for donations to my Justgiving page. The company I worked for allowed me to advertise through them and I got such a good response I have had to do two different groups as I had over 15 people sign up, which means I am doing twice the training but it’s worth it! We are now six weeks through the programme.”

Carla has set up a closed Facebook group where they all post about their homework and their progress. “It’s become a little community. I love hearing all the different reason people are taking part and see their progress. We are all running our own race for our own reasons. I started this to say thank you for the care given to my Dad and our family but now I can’t wait to see those that have joined my groups cross the finish line.”

Carla originally set a Fundraising target of £100 to get her custom t-shirt but has since raised over £6,000 “I want to raise as much as I can. I couldn’t believe how quickly my fundraising increased and the support I was receiving from family and friends.”

“I am so excited to be part of the Hospice Run this year and to help raise funds in memory of my father. I am really looking forward to running with my team and to help them cross the finish line.”