For most people, a holiday from work means putting their feet up and taking a well-earned break. For Salisbury sports therapist Alex Bance, it means lacing up his running shoes and pushing his body and mind to their absolute limits, all in support of Julia's House Children's Hospice.
Next month, Alex will take on his most ambitious challenge yet as he attempts to run 380 miles in less than six days along the Greater Ridgeway National Trail, the longest and oldest trail in England. Completing the route in reverse, he will set off from Hunstanton, Norfolk, on 2 November and aims to finish in Lyme Regis, Dorset, on 7 November.
If successful, Alex will pass two remarkable milestones, raising more than £20,000 and completing more than 1,000 fundraising miles for Julia's House since 2019, bringing his total fundraising distance to an incredible 1,177 miles.
Since 2019, Alex has dedicated himself to raising vital funds for the charity, taking on a series of increasingly ambitious endurance challenges. Over the past seven years, he has covered hundreds of miles, tested the boundaries of physical and mental resilience, and raised more than £15,000 to help support children with life-shortening conditions and their families across Dorset and Wiltshire.
Reflecting on his fundraising journey, Alex said: "When I started fundraising for Julia's House seven years ago, I never imagined I would one day be approaching 1,000 miles. My trainers have had a lot of repairs in that time and at this point I think they're more glue and tape than trainer!"
His fundraising journey began in 2019 with the London to Brighton Run, a gruelling 62-mile challenge. When the pandemic disrupted the event the following year, Alex refused to let it stop him and instead ran 100 miles in 24 hours.
In 2023, Alex broke the Guinness World Record for running the longest distance while blindfolded, covering 72 miles around a track over a 24-hour period.
The following year, Alex completed Julia's Journey, a remarkable 263-mile continuous run over three days. The route linked Great Ormond Street Hospital, where the hospice's inspiration Julia Perks worked as a paediatric nurse, with the Julia's House hospice buildings in Corfe Mullen and Devizes.
And last year, his Path of the Past challenge saw him run 300 miles from the Preseli Hills in West Wales to Stonehenge.
Now Alex is preparing for what he expects to be his toughest test yet.
"This is the biggest distance I've ever done. It's a long way and very remote, so it will be gruelling. With it being November, the nights will be longer, and I'll have to carry a lot of gear in case the weather turns. I quite like the peace of night runs, but it slows you down because you can't see much beyond the glare of your head torch - especially if it's misty or raining.
"My plan, like previous challenges, is just to keep going and take short naps on the side of the trail. I'll have three kind friends to bring me out food and water at checkpoints each day and a couple of running pals to do a few miles with me and keep my morale up along the way."
Despite the challenge ahead, Alex remains characteristically determined.
"Every year I look for a challenge that pushes me further because I know the difference the charity makes to local families. It seems my favourite fundraising challenges are always the ones that have a risk of catastrophic failure."
He added: "It does get tough - it's painful and mentally you can feel pretty down - but I know that my pain will end in a few days and it's a choice that I've made. The families that Julia's House care for don't have a choice about the challenges they're facing. And if I can help them, even in a small way, it's all worth it and I'll keep supporting Julia's House for as long as I can."
The impact of those miles stretches far beyond the roads and trails he has travelled. Julia's House provides critical and compassionate care to families of children with life-shortening conditions across Wiltshire and Dorset, both in families' homes and at its hospices in Devizes and Corfe Mullen. As one of the lowest government-funded children's hospices in England, the charity relies on donations to fund around 92 per cent of its services, all provided free of charge to families.
Alex's fundraising efforts to date could fund three days of compassionate end-of-life care from the Julia's House team, helping families spend precious time together when they need it most.
"When I started out, I only really thought I'd be able to raise a couple of hundred pounds for Julia's House, so it's incredible to think I might reach £20,000 with this challenge. It's all down to the kindness and generosity of people who want to help that I've been able to raise so much."
Nicky Clack, Julia’s House Fundraising Assistant, said, “Alex's commitment is nothing short of extraordinary. Year after year he continues to dream bigger, push harder and inspire those around him, all to help the local children and families that we care for. We are incredibly grateful for everything he has achieved already and will be cheering him on for his biggest challenge yet. Thank you, Alex!”
If you would like to support Alex in his latest endurance challenge please visit his fundraising page, Alex Bance is fundraising for Julia's House.
You can also follow his progress and live tracker on social media @spireinjuryclinic.