TWO Keighley GPs hope the fundraising prognosis will be good when they pound the streets of the capital in April.

Dr Rob Holt and Dr Dave Thompson are tackling the London Marathon in support of Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice Manorlands.

The pair, who have been friends since they trained together at Leeds Medical School, say they rely through their work on the "wonderful" service provided by the hospice.

Rob, 37, who also works for NHS 111, says: "We rely every single week on Manorlands' wonderful palliative care service.

"Every hour, day or night, the hospice staff are there to support both of us as GPs, and our patients directly.

"They offer guidance and advice.

"This is provided alongside the supportive and compassionate care they give to people in the last days of their lives within the hospice.

"It’s vital that we have this service. From my own experience, when it is two o’clock in the morning and you are the doctor covering the whole area and you have a patient who is really struggling, knowing that you have access to palliative care specialists who are always so happy to help is invaluable."

Dave, 33, says: "The idea that Sue Ryder Manorlands hospice does everything it does as a charity has always amazed us, so when the opportunity came up to run the London Marathon there was no doubt that we would do it to support them."

The marathon, on April 23, is the duo's first.

"Dave has always been a keen runner and super fit but I would describe myself as the couch potato!" Rob adds.

"During lockdown I put on quite a bit of weight, but after restrictions lifted I decided to do something about it and took up running."

The pair have set up an online fundraising page, at justgiving.com/team/DrRobDrDaveRunLondonMoarathon2023, and have so far raised just over £5,000.

Tribute is paid by Manorlands senior community fundraiser Hayley Ibbotson.

She says: "We are so grateful to Rob and Dave for choosing to run the London Marathon to support us and we wish them the very best for race day.

"Our nurses and healthcare teams have always been there for patients and families at the most difficult time of their lives. With the help from our generous supporters, our teams can continue to go above and beyond, filling last days with love and helping to give families a better goodbye."