Jodie Cowden shares her story and tells us why she has her heart set on raising £100,000 for St Christopher’s by the end of 2025.
Not content with the already phenomenal fundraising for St Christopher’s she and her family and friends have achieved, Jodie Cowden has her heart set on reaching the £100,000 mark by the end of 2025.
To hit that target the Executive Assistant from Bromley will have to complete the four-day Palace to Palace cycle ride and oversee the annual golf day held every year since her Dad, Ali Cowden, died at the hospice in August 2017.
Jodie is quietly confident that her network of generous friends, family and colleagues will add sufficiently to the existing £86,200 raised at the multiple events at Sundridge Park Golf Club and on the London to Amsterdam cycle ride she completed in 2019 with friends Natalie and Alicia Moore.
“After the experience we had at St Christopher’s we have so much to thank them for,” says Jodie.
Electrician and mad-keen golfer Ali was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2017 and spent a few months in and out of hospital.
“They were absolutely brilliant from day one, making sure he was comfortable.”
“Dad initially wanted to go home to die but really needed too much care for my mum to provide. So, my brother and I went to visit St Christopher’s and were instantly made to feel at ease. We thought it would be the best place for him and that’s exactly how it turned out.
“We had an agonising few days waiting for a bed to become available and felt like we’d won the lottery when it came free.
The care and support extended way beyond just Ali, Jodie remembers.
“My brother and I between us stayed every night of the two weeks that Dad was there. We’d go down to the café for breakfast in our slippers, have movie nights and get takeaways.
“The doctors, nurses and social workers were all so caring and understanding, explaining everything to us and preparing us for what was going to happen.”
Jodie’s son Teddy, only three and a half at the time, was also made to feel at home in the hospice, she recalls.
“We all have some amazing memories of that time. That might sound strange, but we really do and that’s all down to the staff who made us feel so at ease and comfortable.
“When the weather was good the staff wheeled Dad outside into the garden and Teddy even set up his Scalextrix in Dad’s room. They helped us make the very best of the worst situation.
“I remember before Dad got ill, I used to often drive past St Christopher’s and feel quite fearful. But when you’ve been there you know that it’s just not like that.”
After Ali’s death, aged 69, Jodie knew she wanted to give back to St Christopher’s and, in the charity golf day her dad had been running for years, had the perfect vehicle. With the help of what they lovingly call the A Team – Dave Moore, Natalie Moore, Moira Cowden, Sean Cowden, Heather Cowden and Julie Watson – Jodie ran the 2024 golf day which saw 55 golfers compete for the Ali Cowden shield and 100 people enjoy the dinner and dance.
Teddy, now 11, made the speech at this year’s dinner making mum Jodie very proud.
“Teddy was very young when Dad died but he shared the memories he has. Dad was a great family man and amazing dad and a great person to everyone.”
Now, Jodie is turning her mind to the next challenge – cycling from Crystal Palace to the Palace of Versailles just outside Paris.
“I’m really looking forward to it. London to Amsterdam was brilliant. And what’s great is you don’t have to be an amazing cyclist. I didn’t even own a bicycle when I signed up for that!
“Our little group just did it at our own pace and enjoyed ourselves. I’ll start training in the spring when the weather gets better and that should be enough to see me through it.”
While Jodie is eyeing that £100,000 target, other keen cyclists need only raise a more manageable £2,800.
For all the information about Palace to Palace click here.
Applications close on 18 June 2025
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