On Wednesday 1st July, Havens Hospices hosted its 27th Race4Business event, kindly sponsored by Birketts, Essex & Suffolk Water, Fiserv, Rickard Luckin and Utilize.  

The evening saw groups and businesses from across Essex enjoy a fun-filled evening of friendly competition, high energy and team spirit, coming together to run in Chelmsford’s Central Park.  

Little Havens, part of the charity Havens Hospices, is a children’s hospice based in Thundersley which provides expert, compassionate care to babies, children and young adults living with incurable conditions across Essex. 

The evening began with an inspiring speech from Charlene, whose son Reuel is cared for by the hospice. She spoke to inspire runners before the start line and help them understand the impact their support has on families caring for a child with an incurable condition like hers.  

Charlene said, “The staff at Little Havens are rays of sunshine and breaths of fresh air. I don’t know where my life would be without Little Havens, holding my hand on this journey. Having a child with complex needs is a special assignment and Little Havens are my angels on earth.” 

Runners then took part in an energetic warm-up led by Chelmsford Virgin Active before heading to the start line where Charlene started the race.  

One business that enjoyed the evening was the networking group Women in Business, which had a team of 10 running the 5K race. Vicky Labinger, the owner of Women in Business South Essex, said, “This was our first time attending Race4Business and I wanted to get a team of ladies together to do something different that is not business-related and have a bit of fun. I also have a personal connection to Havens Hospices, as my Mum was cared for at their adult hospice, Fair Havens, for the last week of her life. They took amazing care of her, so it means a lot to be able to fundraise to support their care for more families.” 

After the race, awards were handed out for fastest male, Will Wright from Tangent International, who crossed the line in 17 minutes and 26 seconds. The fastest female was Jackie Stretton from Teledyne e2v, with a time of 18 minutes and 49 seconds. The largest Team award went to sponsors Essex & Suffolk Water with a huge total of 63 team members and the Highest Fundraising Team/Individual award went to sponsors Fiserv. 

The event has raised over £30,000 so far, which will go directly towards the expert care that Little Havens provides to hundreds of families across the county.  

Steve Yeung, Corporate Fundraising Officer at Havens Hospices said, “It was an amazing evening full of community spirit and enthusiasm. A huge thank you to our sponsors, Birketts, Essex & Suffolk Water, Fiserv, Rickard Luckin and Utilize, as well as our fantastic volunteers, whose support made the evening possible. 

“All of our care and support is provided completely free of charge, so the money raised from Race4Business and events like these helps Little Havens to provide its expert care to more families who need it in our local community.  

“Seeing so many businesses come together for Little Havens is heartwarming, and we’re incredibly grateful for every supporter and team who took part. It is thanks to you that we can continue ‘Making every day count.’” 

Race4Business will return in 2027, with bookings going live soon. Stay up to date by following @HavensEvents on Facebook. 

Published 15th July 2026