A retired North East grandad who is undergoing treatment for cancer has signed up for a running event in Middlesbrough to raise funds for a baby hospice in the town. Kit Tapscott will tackle the Ali Brownlee 5K during the Middlesbrough Runs weekend later this year to support Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice. Organised by Events of the North, in partnership with Middlesbrough Council and Everyone Active, the 2026 Middlesbrough Runs also include the Middlesbrough 10K and Paula Radcliffe’s Families on Track, and will be held over the weekend of 29-30 August.
Kit Tapscott, 75, is a former health and social care professional who lives in Cramlington. Kit is a member of outdoor swimming club H2O Trails, where he has become a friend of Jeni Brownlee, sister of Boro legend Alastair Brownlee. Ali was the patron of Zoe’s Place, which is the official charity partner of the Middlesbrough Runs, and Kit has been inspired to take on the run as part of his own response to a cancer diagnosis. The 5K will be part of his build up to an attempt on Mount Kilimanjaro next year.
After a career in health and social care, Kit has been busy in retirement, working in cafes and now volunteering in the shop at Cramlington’s Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital. He has a big family, including six children and eight grandchildren, who live in various locations around the country. Kit was diagnoses with metastatic cancer and is currently undergoing treatment, but is not letting his own health challenges prevent him from getting active to help others.
Kit Tapscott comments: “It is through my friendship with Jeni that I first heard Ali’s story, and about the Middlesbrough Runs and the link to Zoe’s Place. The more I found out, the more involved I wanted to become. Having never been a runner in my life, I signed up for the Ali Brownlee 5K and I have been doing the NHS Couch to 5K programme as preparation and training.
“I recently visited Zoe’s Place and was shown around the hospice. Words fail me – the work that the team there does with both the little ones and their families is too wonderful to adequately describe. It will be an absolute honour to represent and raise funds for Zoe’s Place at the Ali Brownlee 5K, and then continue to support this brilliant charity on Kilimanjaro.”
Kit is also a member of an NHS creative writing group and is hoping to publish a book of poems and haiku called ‘Poems of Love and Eternity.’ If he manages to do that, the book will also raise funds for Zoe’s Place.
Rachael Bareham, senior events and community fundraiser at Zoe’s Place Hospice, comments: “We are honoured that Kit has chosen to raise funds for our charity at this year’s Ali Brownlee 5K. He is truly remarkable and a real inspiration to others. By taking on this challenge, Kit is not only raising vital funds for our baby hospice but also helping to spread the word about the lifeline support we offer, and the difference it makes to families. Fundraisers like it help to keep our doors open. If Kit can do this, it shows others they can too. We are so grateful for his support and for sharing his incredible journey, from the Ali Brownlee 5K to Kilimanjaro in 2027.”
Middlesbrough Runs race director Steve Cram adds: “Kit’s story is one of those that reminds us why we organise events like the Middlesbrough Runs. Of course, we love to see fast times at our races, but what matters most is giving people from all backgrounds the opportunity to get active, and take part for the reasons that matter to them. There will be loads of runners who line up at the Ali Brownee 5K to support great causes like Zoe’s Place, and we hope that they raise a lot of money. Kit is a genuine inspiration to us and to many others and we’re so pleased that he’s chosen to join us on 30 August.”
Kit has started a fundraising page and donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/page/kit-tapscott-1.
The Ali Brownlee 5K will be held on the morning of Sunday 30 August, following a route around Middlesbrough. 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the death of ‘Voice of Boro’ Alastair Brownlee, and organisers will be working closely with Ali’s family to celebrate his life and legacy through the Middlesbrough Runs, and to raise funds for Zoe’s Place. The hospice is recruiting runners to take part in the 5K and 10K and will be working with Events of the North and the Brownlee family to encourage other runners to support Zoe’s Place.
To find out more about running for Zoe’s Place at the Middlesbrough Runs, contact hellomiddlesbrough@zoes-place.org.uk or call 01642 457985. Place on the Middlesbrough Runs can be booked at Middlesbrough Runs – Events of the North.
Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice supports babies and young children who have life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, from birth to age five. The charity works to ensure that those accessing the services at the hospice can enjoy the best possible quality of life making each day count. The Middlesbrough based hospice offers respite, palliative and end of life care for children, as well as support that delivers accessible, memorable experiences for the whole family, enabling them to live life to its fullest. Zoe’s Place provides its services completely free of charge and relies heavily on donations from the public to continue offering its services. Find out more about the work of the hospice at www.zoes-place.org.uk.
