Gwyneth Paltrow visits Marie Curie Hospice to support Hampstead Hug walk

Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow took time out of her busy schedule today to visit the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead and support the Hampstead Hug fundraising walk.

Gwyneth was given a tour of the hospice by her friend Sarah Wyn-Jones whose husband Gareth was cared for at the hospice last year after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Mother of two Sarah is now organising the Hampstead Hug family walk to raise funds for the hospice, which costs £5.3million a year to run.

Gwyneth said: “The staff at the Marie Curie Hospice are amazing and their free care and support to terminally ill people and their families at the worst possible time is truly remarkable.  I hope that as many people as possible sign up to the Hampstead Hug walk so that the hospice can keep helping more families like my friend Sarah’s.”

Sarah Wyn-Jones said: “All of the hospice staff offered such gentle, caring support and I don’t know how we would have coped without them.

“The whole Marie Curie team were incredible – from the medical director to all of the nurses.  Marie Curie offered help for the whole family – including the children who had counselling to understand what was happening.”

The Hampstead Hug walk takes place on Sunday 3 July and participants can choose to walk either 3 or 6 miles around Hampstead Health. 

The walk costs £10 for adults to enter and £5 for children, and each participant is asked to aim to raise or donate at least £25 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. 

The Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead provides expert care and the best possible quality of life, for people with cancer and other terminal illnesses and support for their families, completely free of charge.  The hospice offers a range of services including in-patient care, complementary therapies, social, spiritual and bereavement support.

Anyone interested in signing-up to join in the Hampstead Hug can email supporthampstead@mariecurie.org.uk or call the team on 0207 853 3415. Volunteers are also needed to assist walkers on the day. 

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