The Running Diaries – Nurse Jen

6th June 2026/inNews, blog, latest news

Nurse Jen’s running challenge

“I decided to run for all the patients and their families that I have cared for over the years as they often show me the great strength they have.”

St Luke’s Nurse Consultant Jen Nicholls is the head of service for our Community team, providing specialist care for patients in the comfort of their own homes. She will be swapping her St Luke’s nursing uniform for a running vest on Sunday 28 April as she will be taking on Plymouth Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon in aid of the patients she cares for.

Frontline nursing

Jen has worked for St Luke’s since August 2016, originally based in the St Luke’s hospital team at Derriford before moving over to the Community team in 2019. As one of our frontline nurses, Jen witnesses firsthand the impact fundraising has on the care she delivers.

It is an honour to support them

“Recently I had the great honour of looking after a young patient, he died at the age of 23 years old, but he kept his pride, independence and was true to himself to the end. He was an absolute pleasure and so brave all the way through, this reflects the importance of our work.

“The care that St Luke’s gives is amazing and is very special and I am privileged to be a part of patients’ and their families’ lives during these difficult times. It’s a great honour to be able to help and support them during this time.”

Running for all the patients and their families

“For me the charity plays such an important role in so many different ways, from specialist palliative care, our end of life urgent care service, to the inpatient care at our specialist unit, to compassionate communities to education and supporting the wider health and social care system in end of life care.

“Therefore, I decided to run for all the patients and their families that I have cared for over the years as they often show me the great strength they have.”

Running for mental health

For many running can have so many great benefits, not just your physical fitness, but also for your mental health. Like many of our teams, Jen’s daily job can be both physically and emotionally tough, but she describes how getting outside running on either the moors or along the coastal paths has helped her to switch off, while also becoming a social hobby, running with friends regularly.

Running funds our compassionate care

It costs £11 million to provide our services each year and the majority of that is down to contributions from the local community. By choosing to run for St Luke’s, you will be making a direct impact on the vital funds we need, allowing us to continue to provide compassionate care and support for local families.

Whether you put your best foot forward in Plymouth or at any race across the country or further afield, you’ll be raising much-needed funds to help us reach people living near you when their time is running short. With your support, we can ensure they live well to the end of their lives, making precious memories with those dearest to them. If you’ve already got your spot for the half marathon, then it’s not too late to make a difference with your sponsorship, raising £100 will be enough to provide a visit from one of our Urgent Care Service nurses. This could mean just asking 10 friends to sponsor you £10 each, a kind-hearted contribution that could make a big impact.

Running for St Luke’s

Why should you run? We asked Jen what advice she would give anyone considering signing up for a race this year. “Give it a go,” she says. “As if I can, you can and what better way than being part of more than 70 runners running for St Luke’s all in our white vests.”

Get in touch today

If you are interested in running for St Luke’s, then please get in touch today and be part of the St Luke’s team.

Run for St Luke’s Run Plymouth

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