Organisers at Dudley Parkrun have made donations to the Mary Stevens Hospice and Russell's Hall Georgina Unit after setting up a successful charity coffee shop.

The team who volunteer to run the free, weekly run have been setting up a pop-up coffee shop every Saturday throughout the last few months, which has raised hundreds of pounds for local causes.

To mark the beginning of the festive season, Becky, Della, Gavin and Dudley the Bear from Dudley Parkrun have dropped their donations in to both the Stourbridge-based Hospice and the ward at Russell's Hall Hospital, which cares for patients battling the impact of cancer.

The charities were chosen both due to the respect held locally for both causes, but also due to personal connections within the organising team, as Della has recently relied on the care of Georgina Unit, and Becky's brother sadly passed away at the Mary Stevens Hospice in 2011. Gavin Grosvenor, Volunteer organiser at Dudley Parkrun, said:

“Everyone knows how much these charities have to raise and the importance of the work they do, so when it came to choosing who to give our donations to it was actually very easy, particularly with the personal experiences of members of the team here who have been looked after so incredibly in their time of need by these charities.”

Dan Malin, Digital Media & PR specialist, Mary Stevens Hospice added:

“We are so privileged to be on the receiving end of such remarkable support for the work we do, and donations like the one made by the Dudley Parkrun team really do make the most incredible, real-world difference to the care we're able to provide.

"That money will pay for a patient to spend a day in our day care unit next week. The difference that service makes to patients and families battling the impact of life-limiting illnesses simply can't be overestimated, and that's what the guys have made possibly by selling coffee every week.

"Without our remarkable community we simply couldn't keep the doors open here and we're so grateful to Becky, Della, Gavin and Dudley for choosing to support us."

To find out more about Dudley Parkrun and how you can take part, visit parkrun.org.uk/dudley.