City heroes ride, run, and raise hope for St Joseph’s young patients

by Admin · November 18, 2025

Fundraising for St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care.

Top: Regan Bagley and Jermaine Carelse cross the Wines2Whales finish line. Bottom: Employees from the City’s Safety and Security Directorate interact with St Joseph’s patients at the Fun Run.

City of Cape Town employees who are usually at the frontlines keeping the public safe, recently united in a different kind of mission: supporting the young patients and dedicated staff at St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care.

Regan Bagley and Jermaine Carelse, who have a background in law enforcement and firefighting, respectively, completed the three-day mountain biking race “Wines2Whales” in early November to raise funds for St Joseph’s. And in late October, the City’s Safety and Security Directorate participated in a 5km fun run, with St Joseph’s as the beneficiary of proceeds raised.

Bagley and Carelse went through numerous setbacks throughout the prestigious Wines2Whales event, particularly on the final day when Carelse had two accidents.

But Carelse said the challenges experienced during the race did not compare to the sacrifices made by the patients at St Joseph’s. “I injured my elbow, hip, and knee and knocked my head against a tree, which broke my glasses in half, but I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything. The hills, the climbs, the struggles, the pain. Every day, the children of St Joseph’s were the heroes we looked up to. They remain the heroes, and their struggle continues. That can never be forgotten.”

The 5km Fun Run, held around the Rondebosch Common on 23 October, brought together more than 500 participants from the City’s Safety and Security Directorate, which includes Fire & Rescue, Metro Police, Traffic Services, and Law Enforcement. Learners from the Public Safety Training College and the Fire and Rescue Training Academy also took part.

St Joseph’s is a 175-bed facility that provides free, transitional care to children from vulnerable communities across the Western Cape. Referred by hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Cape Metropole, these young patients face chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy, infectious diseases, brain injuries, neurological disorders, and cancer. At St Joseph’s, they receive expert multidisciplinary, rehabilitative, and restorative care—bridging the critical gap between hospital and home.

For more information on the work done at St Joseph’s Intermediate Paediatric Care, visit https://stjosephsipc.org.za.