Care Home Chef Runs Half Marathon for Charity – Just Months After Breaking Ankle

A chef who works at a dementia nursing home has recently completed a half marathon, raising £345 for Alzheimer’s Society, despite having broken her ankle just months before the Okehampton Steam Challenge was due to take place.

Wendy Baker, 62, works as the head chef at the Deer Park Nursing Home in Holsworthy. She said: “Working in a dementia care home, I know how important it is for people living with dementia to get the right care and support, and my grandmother had Alzheimer’s, so I wanted to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society. I’d been training for the half marathon for months and I was really enjoying it – I love to have something to work towards.

“In May, I broke my ankle when I tripped over a cobbled pavement in Bristol and I was supposed to be running the Bristol 10K the following day. It was such a low moment for me. I’d been really looking forward to the race and knew my family, friends and co-workers had all donated to my fundraiser. I was so worried I’d let them all down, but I couldn’t walk, let alone run.

“I really didn’t think I would get back to the right level of fitness ahead of the event, but I worked hard on my recovery and just in the nick of time, the doctor gave me the go ahead to take part.

“I love the freedom I feel when I run and this half marathon was no exception. It felt even more worthwhile when I crossed the finish line!”

Wendy has been running for around 20 years. The Steam Challenge was Wendy’s tenth half marathon and she has more fundraising races planned for next year. Wendy’s been working at the Deer Park Nursing Home since May last year and is passionate about being able to provide nutritious meals for residents.