Every year Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity has one of the biggest charity teams at the Great Birmingham Half Marathon. With just four weeks to go, the charity shines a spotlight on three of its kind-hearted runners who are tackling the pavement to do more for its sick kids. 

Amy Stein, 32, Wolverhampton

Amy Stein from Wolverhampton chose the charity after seeing first-hand the impact fundraising can have. 

Amy’s daughter, Rosa, receives on-going care at the children’s hospital for her condition which is currently nameless despite various tests and treatments. 17-month -old Rosa has been a patient at Birmingham Children’s Hospital since she was nine-months old. 

Amy said: “Nothing can prepare you for how you feel when your child is ill, whether they are an outpatient or inpatient, short term or long term, but from our experience as a family, and the help and support we have received, makes the time we spend there so much easier and that’s why we are so keen to support the hospital through fundraising. 

“Fundraising is what transforms the sterile, clinical, daunting atmosphere of the hospital and makes it welcoming and inviting. Donations are what build safe, fully-equipped playrooms with soft play areas and sensory lighting for children like Rosa to play in with her sister Orla when she visits.

“Thanks to the charity, there are volunteers on hand with activities while you wait for appointments – without them, Rosa would be anxious and worried, but they help distract children from the real reason they are there.”