Matt & Ian Ride for Hospice Ethiopia UK

55 Miles to Make a Difference


On Sunday 14 September 2025, Matt and Ian will take on the iconic London to Brighton Cycle Ride – a 55-mile journey from city streets to seaside views, with more than 3,200 ft of climbing. But this ride is more than a personal challenge – it’s a mission to raise vital funds for Hospice Ethiopia UK. Matt and Ian have poured their hearts (and legs!) into training, and now they need your support. Every donation – big or small – helps make their ride truly meaningful.

Patient Profile: Maaza

Our fundraising is used to care for people like Maaza (not her real name) in Addis Ababa. She was a 30 year old lady with cancer of her lower jaw. Following surgery, the wound became infected so it didn’t heal. Her face became distorted by the mass which did not respond to chemotherapy. By the time the Hospice Ethiopia nurses met her, she hadn’t had a proper might’s sleep for 3 months. The pain & distress were overwhelming. The nurse reported Maaza “felt sad, hopeless and unworthy”.

The nurses visited her frequently at home; they provided medicines & dressings to control the pain & infection. They also gave her information about her illness as she previously had no understanding about it.

Although her illness could not be cured, her quality of life was greatly improved and she and her husband were able to sleep at night. Two months later, Maaza died peacefully at home with her family, free from pain & distress.

Fundraising at Mannington Hall

Hospice Ethiopia UK has continued to support Hospice Ethiopia during the pandemic with financial support, assisting with the procurement of PPE and advice about adjusting the day to day running of the hospice. The day unit has been closed and these patients are now supported by phone. Our fundraising has been severely curtailed this year by the pandemic but we were delighted to raise £439 at the Mannington Hall Charities day on September 6th. We’re also very grateful to donors who have set up a standing order, which ensures regular funds for Hospice Ethiopia. If you would like to help Hospice Ethiopia in this way, please email info@hospiceethiopia.org.uk

Successful fundraising in November & December 2018

We had a number of successful events to round off 2018; in particular the Big Give, which ran from 27th November to 4th December. We had hoped to raise £8,000 which meant we needed our donors to give £4,000 which would then be matched to raise £8,000. In fact, our donors gave £5,007 (£4,000 of which was doubled) and with Gift Aid the total raised was over £10,000. A fantastic result, which we could not have achieved without so many of our donors taking part.

Other events included Mary Lamb’s Open House event in December, which raised over £2,477, and the Bridge event at the Bishop’s Palace in Norwich, which raised over £1,450.
Below is our Hospice Ethiopia tree, at the St Michael’s Church Christmas Tree Festival in Aylsham:
Xmas tree
Many thanks for all your support in 2018 and wishing everyone all the best for 2019!