The pair are swapping their day jobs at West Herts Hospitals for running shoes as they take on the 2026 London Marathon.
On Sunday 26 April, Andrea Hone, Carers Lead Nurse and Deputy to Patient Experience Lead Nurse and Joe Barron, Deputy Head of Emergency Planning, Resilience and Response, will be joining thousands of runners on the streets of London, to raise funds for our charity and support patients and staff at West Herts Hospitals.
Meet the Runners
Joe Barron: No stranger to planning, Joe is now focusing his resilience on 26.2 miles of running. For Joe, this marathon is a way to express his gratitude both as a dedicated member of staff and as a former patient who experienced the Trust’s life-saving care firsthand:
“In 2016, I suffered with a perforated bowel and was extremely unwell – having life saving surgery and spending a week in ICU at Watford General Hospital and the following six months with a stoma bag. I had further major surgery in 2017 to reverse the procedure. It was an extremely difficult time in my life, but I am so grateful for the treatment and care I received from my colleagues – they really looked after me and I essentially owe them my life!
Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it! The Trust saved my life in 2016. I thought my lifelong ambition of running a marathon was gone. It’s not just the Trust that has the power of recovery,” – Joe Barron
Read more and support Joe’s marathon journey.
Andrea Hone: Andrea has dedicated 25 years to nursing within the NHS, spending the last 18 years at Watford General. Currently serving as the Carers Lead Nurse, she supports unpaid carers and their families through our Caring for Carers Service.
For Andrea, West Herts Hospitals is more than just a workplace; it’s her local hospital where both her children were born. Her decision to run is deeply personal, following her own diagnosis and successful treatment for breast cancer in 2024.
“I have worked at Watford General Hospital for 18 years, and it is the local hospital for my family and me. In 2024, I became a patient here after being diagnosed with breast cancer. I was hugely supported by my peers and the fantastic breast care unit at St Albans City Hospital/West Herts.
Following surgery and radiotherapy, I am cancer-free and feel incredibly passionate about giving back to our hospitals! No matter how small the donation, it will help support our patients at our hospitals,” – Andrea Hone
Read more and support Andrea’s marathon journey.
How you can help
Our runners have weeks of early morning training sessions and long runs ahead of them. You can show your support by:
Donating: Click the links above to visit their fundraising pages.
Spreading the word: Share their fundraising links with anyone who would like to sponsor them.
Good luck, Andrea and Joe!