06/05/2026
MORE THAN £7,500 RAISED BY RUNNING THE LONDON
A Formula 1 journalist and broadcaster who grew up in Somerset has raised more than £7,500 for the League of Friends of Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, running the London Marathon.
Chris Medland (37) was moved to support the charity following the death of his mother Jacqueline in the hospital. Chris and his sister were offered the use of Bastable Lodge, a bungalow in the grounds of the hospital, built by the League of Friends for the use of families of critically ill patients.
Today Chris said: “My job takes me all over the world on a regular basis and I now live in Wokingham near Reading, but as my mum deteriorated I was able to get back from an F1 race in Azerbaijan and be with her.
“On what turned out to be her final night, my family were approached by an amazing support worker who informed us about the bungalow that the League of Friends provides on-site for those with loved ones in the hospital.
“It proved to be an absolutely incredible resource for us, as my sister and I could get some sleep and stay close, with mum passing away the following night.
“Mum received incredible care at Musgrove throughout her treatment, but the fact that something was made available to us as a family when we needed it most - at no cost at all - was hugely touching, and I wanted to do something to repay League of Friends in some way. So having been lucky enough to gain a ballot place for this year's London Marathon, I planned on fundraising for the charity.”
League of Friends President Clinton Rogers said Chris’ efforts were “hugely appreciated”. He added: “Bastable Lodge has benefited so many families over the years and we were so pleased to be able to help Chris and his sister. But what he has done for us in return is extraordinary.”
Chris, whose father still lives at Horton, near llminster, had set himself a target of £2,500 but in the end trebled that figure, and money is still coming in. He described the whole day as “incredibly emotional”, and the very next day he was on a plane to Miami to cover another Formula 1 race!
He added: “Sadly, in February, my wife and I lost what would have been our first child, and as I had already struggled for training motivation (I ran the marathon the previous year for Macmillan and had been far more committed to training then), I nearly didn't go ahead with running.
“But I also wanted to do something to honour both my mum and our little bean, so with just over six weeks to go to the marathon - on March 10 - I resolved to restart training and get the fundraising going. I just wanted to show how massively grateful I am for what the League of Friends provides at Musgrove.”
TCS London Marathon
