An RAF policeman who ran the London Marathon in memory of his friend and mentor, has just donated more than £3,000 to the hospital unit that cared for him.
Sergeant Tom Bone sadly lost his friend and mentor a few years ago and promised to run the marathon in aid of the Renal Unit at Lincoln County Hospital.
Granville Bainbridge owned the Wainfleet Social Club and took Tom under his wing when he showed a keen interest and ability in snooker.
Tom said: “Granville was an amazing man and a real character. He always supported me with my snooker when I was a young lad and later with my military career. He had so many stories to tell and I will always remember him telling me to do whatever you can, see as many places as you can and take as many photos as possible.”
Granville used to have treatment at Lincoln County Hospital before he had a kidney transplant in 2020. Sadly he died in February 2021 during the COVID pandemic.
Tom added: “He always praised the team when he talked about the treatment and care he received. It has been a real honour to come back today and be able to say thank you.
“When Granville died, I decided that I would run the marathon in his memory. When you see people going through treatment and you see the amazing care that the team provide, it puts everything into perspective.
“All I did was spend 3 hours 15 minutes and 52 seconds running and thanks to the support of other people making donations and supporting me we raised £3,134.”
Renal Unit Sister, Lorraine Makin, said: “It is incredibly humbling for us as a team when patients and families think of us and thank us.
“Our unit is unusual as we get to see the same patients week in and week out for many years. It is special and it is why we all do what we do. It really is a privilege.”
Lorraine and Tom were joined by other members of the Renal Unit Team and also Ben and Gary from the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity.
Fundraiser, Gary Burr, said: “As a charity we support United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust patients and staff with those extras that cannot be provided by the NHS. We will work with the Unit and Tom to understand if there was anything in particular that Granville would have wanted this generous donation spent on. It will make such a difference.”
Image credit: United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
