LONDON, April 2025 – A London Marathon runner is set to make a bold bid for a world record on Sunday 27th April—donning a full mascot suit to raise funds and awareness for The Dear Toby Trust’s appeal to fund three new specialist childhood cancer doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
Zoe Cowell-Jones, a long-time supporter and founding fundraiser for The Dear Toby Trust, will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run by a mascot, appearing as “Bernie the Lion” – the beloved mascot of the charity and a symbol of courage in the face of devastating childhood cancer.
The attempt is more than symbolic. The Trust is in the midst of an urgent fundraising campaign to secure £783,000—enough to fund three specialist clinical fellows at GOSH for three years. These doctors will provide life-saving care to some of the UK’s sickest children, while leading cutting-edge research into immunotherapy treatments, including CAR-T cell therapy, for rare and aggressive childhood cancers.
The Trust was founded in memory of Toby, who died aged seven months old not from cancer, but from the toxicity of the treatment used to try and save him. The marathon is the latest chapter in a story that began in heartbreak, but now burns with purpose: to ensure that other children receive not only a chance at life, but a kinder, more compassionate path through treatment.
“Toby was my best friend’s son and the bravest little lion we knew,” says Zoe. “He died just weeks before my first marathon in 2017. I made the decision to run and we raised over £8,000—that money seeded a movement that has since grown into The Dear Toby Trust. This year, running as Bernie, I want to roar as loud as I can for Toby and for all the children still fighting.”
Oncology units at GOSH have been forced to close beds due to staff shortages, with children in need of complex cancer treatment facing delays. Without urgent funding, the hospital’s ability to maintain its world-leading care is under threat.
“We have the expertise. We can lead the world in cancer care for children—but we’re held back by a shortage of frontline doctors,” says Professor Persis Amrolia, consultant in Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) at GOSH. “Funding these three fellows would immediately increase capacity, enable more children to be treated, and fast-track vital research into kinder, more effective treatments.”
Verity Hambrook-Skinner, Toby’s mother and co-founder of The Dear Toby Trust, added:
“No parent should lose their child to cancer. Watching a child, who doesn’t understand what is happening to them, battle and endure so much pain is impossible. Toby was just seven months old when he died, and the treatment he received was so brutal. We started this charity to make sure his legacy changes things—not in ten years, but now. This is about hope, it’s about urgency, and it’s about saving lives today.”
The Dear Toby Trust is calling for donations from individuals, corporate philanthropists, and charitable foundations to help hit their target. Funds can be donated directly to GOSH or via the charity’s website (www.thedeartobytrust.org).
Notes to Editors:
Zoe (runner), Verity (Toby’s mother), and Persis (consultant at GOSH) are available for interview.
The Dear Toby Trust is a registered UK charity dedicated to finding kinder treatments for rare childhood cancers and supporting families undergoing paediatric cancer treatment.
Watch The Dear Toby Trust film here.
For more information, images, and interview requests, please contact:
Donations can be made at: www.thedeartobytrust.org
