Hospice
Fundraising
Enter Andy Greenwell, CEO of National Building & Maintenance Solutions (NBMS) and the man behind ‘The Cloud 9 Challenge.’ Andy plans to take on a series of 9 running, cycling and swimming challenges from March – September 2025, and if completed, will mean he will be covering a massive 665.5 miles before the end of September, all in support of St Oswald’s Hospice patients and families.
Andy kicks off his epic adventure on 9th March with The Kingdom of Northumbria Coastal Ultra, a 34 mile run along the Northumbrian coast, staring at Bamburgh Castle and finishing at Druridge Bay. From then on, he will embark on a series of ultra runs, triathlons and half and full marathons both in the UK and further afield.
We caught up with Andy, who was speaking to us from a training camp in Lanzarote, where he was working through a full, grueling program of swimming, cycling and running to prepare him for his challenge.
Andy said:
“However for some mad reason, two days later something changed in me and I decided I wanted to try and push myself again.
“My company, NBMS, fitted out the new kitchen on the Children and Young Adult’s Unit at St Oswald’s Hospice and when I was there, I just got such a warm feeling, I met some of the young people and staff and just really connected with the cause.”
Andy and his company have embarked on several fundraising events and activities since then. NBMS donated to our Giving Day in 2023, with money raised by Andy taking on a Peloton Coast 2 Coast on a static bike in his office. For the past two years, Andy and his team have organised The Benwell Festival, a family fun day and music event, in support of the hospice and NBMS joined our Better Together Business Club which aims to fund the role of two hospice nurses each year.
But not content with that, Andy decided that he wanted to take on a personal challenge to really push himself.
Challenge 1 – March 9th – Kingdom of Northumbria Coastal Ultra – COMPLETED!
A 54km ultra run along the Northumberland coast from Bamburgh Castle to Druridge Bay Country park.
Challenge 2- 27th April – Ironman 70.3 Valencia
A 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run in Valencia, Spain.
Challenge 3- 11th May – Vietnam 70.3 Ironman
A 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run in Da Nang, Thailand.
Challenge 4- 25th May – Edinburgh Marathon
A 26.2 mile (42.2km) marathon through the streets of Edinburgh.
Challenge 5- 22nd June – Westfriesland 70.3 Ironman
A 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run in the Netherlands.
Challenge 6 – 19th July – Castle 2 Castle 100 mile Ultra
The longest of Andy’s running challenges will see him travel a scenic coastal route from Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, covering 100 miles (160.9km).
Challenge 7 – 16th August – Kalmar 140.6 ironman
A 3.8km swim, 180.2km cycle and 42.2km run through Kalmar, Sweden.
Challenge 8 – 31st August – The Geordieman 104.6 Triathlon
A 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run in Northumberland.
Challenge 9 – 7th September – The Great North Run
Andy will complete his Cloud 9 Challenge on home soil, by taking part in 13.2 mile The Great North Run from Newcastle to South Shields as part of Team St Oswald’s.
He will celebrate in style with friends, family, colleagues and of course the St Oswald’s Hospice team, at The Benwell Festival finale event on Saturday 27th September.
Andy is currently training hard and you can follow his progress on TikTok at @cloud9challenge.
All funds raised through Andy’s efforts will support St Oswald’s Hospice. He has set up an online donation page, which you can visit here.
A huge good luck to Andy, from everyone at St Oswald’s Hospice Watch this space for updates, which we will share as he completes his challenges.
We would love your feedback. Have you found the information helpful on this page?
We’re sorry that you didn’t find this helpful. Please help us improve by filling out the below box.
Thank you for the positive feedback!
