Friends and family say Run Plymouth will help remember Claire Chick and continue her legacy
Known collectively as ‘Plymouth Team Run for Claire’, each member will be proudly running in green, her favourite colour
Last updated 15th May 2026
Friends and family of Plymouth's Claire Chick say they'll be thinking about her this weekend - as they raise money for a nurses' fund, set up in her memory.
The group hope to help Claire’s fund reach £20,000 to 'help sustain it for future generations of Plymouth nurses'.
Claire was Associate Head of Internationalisation at the University of Plymouth's School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the fund set up in her memory provides student nurses with vital support. The fund has already made an impact, with £1,500 enabling students to attend the European Network of Nursing Education conference in Salzburg last month.
Tim Murray is one of those dressing up in green - her favourite colour - for this Sunday's Run Plymouth event.
“I have thought for a long time about what to do to immortalise Claire,” he said.
The lecturer in Adult Nursing at the University and Deputy Head of Education at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust says he still remembers the first time he met Claire, and they became close friends as time went on.
“For me she was always somebody who was incredibly intelligent, incredibly beautiful and wise and she was always somebody who was invested in wellbeing.
“What struck me was just how warm and personable and just how bubbly she was - and you really felt, really quickly, she was just somebody I could trust.”
For more about what happened to Claire Chick click here
Mr Murray says he’s still struggling to come to terms with losing Claire, explaining: “Over time that relationship become reciprocal and she trusted me with a lot of information.
“There has been a lot of trauma that has happened and I think what Claire stood for was being someone who was really passionate, she was really strong and brave and an inspirational woman - but as part of that she did ask for help and I think that's what's probably even more difficult is that she asked for help and she didn't get the help she needed."
Mr Murray added: “When finding running difficult, we’re all encouraged to remember our ‘why’ – and each of us is keeping Claire’s memory close to spur us on. She had the wisdom of Athena and the beauty of Aphrodite – vibrant, kind and full of life. She was passionate about nursing, education, leadership and internationalisation, and lived by the values of health, compassion and excellence.
“Claire was taken from us far too soon, she is forever missed but she will never be forgotten. Through this run, I’m proud to help ensure her remarkable legacy lives on and continues to inspire future nurses.”
Professor Bridie Kent first met Claire when she enquired about a job and knew ‘we had to have her’ as they went on to become close friends.
She said: “Later on I was one of her PHD supervisors and so I got to know Claire really well in a number of different ways.
“Lately, she was in close contact with me, partly because she just needed to talk to somebody but it was thinking about what she does with her PHD as wel,l because the stress of everything that was happening was really having a toll on her physically as well as psychologically.
"My role as a supervisor isn’t just to help somebody do some academic work it's to support the person as well. Claire was ringing me on a regular basis, just offloading and trying to work out what on earth to do.
"It was very much cries for help that weren't being answered, and so we tried to find solutions and some way out of what was happening.
"It is unfair and I think what is does is that it shines a light on the fact that there's a lot of not just women but men as well in really difficult circumstances.
"Claire's story and what happened to Claire has really hit home to many people who think 'there for the grace of God go I' and I think it's spurred people into really being vocal about domestic violence, domestic abuse and just the hidden things that are going on which people are dealing with on a day-to-day basis.
"I think it's brought that to the surface and we're a caring profession, we're involved in looking after people but there's an awful lot of people that go on that we don't know about. People need to be more open and speak about it.
"My way of dealing with the grief and loss of Claire is 'right, let's see what we can do to mobilise other people' so that hopefully changes can occur.
“We've got the legacy of the Claire Chick fund which is brilliant as that's going to really help student nurses now and in the future - but I think there's a bigger message.
"Claire shouldn't be forgotten and so what else can we do to really create a permanent memory and lasting, permanent change in society."
Professor Bridie Kent added: “I’m running for Claire as she was such a full-of-life person, and this run is about energy and drive. Claire made such a mark on everyone she met, and losing her hit us so hard.
“By running the 10K, I’m hoping we raise funds for the Claire Chick Nursing Fund, as well as reminding people just what a wonderful woman she was.”
Jennie Aronsson, Lecturer in Adult Nursing, said: “I’m doing this run for Claire – a close friend, inspirational colleague and strong woman. Raising money for the Claire Chick Nursing Fund is a way to keep Claire present now, as well as in the future, as the fund will carry her legacy.”
There's more about the Claire Chick fundraising appeal here
This week the man serving a life sentence for Claire's murder lost an appeal to have his sentence reduced.
Paul Antony Butler was jailed for at least 27 years in April last year after admitting to stabbing Claire with a kitchen knife outside her home in January 2025.
Misconduct notices have been served to 18 individuals connected to Devon and Cornwall Police following Claire's murder.