Category: Challenge Series

Rachel Wild after completing her Lake District marathon.

 

The memory of her grandad inspired Rachel Wild on a gruelling marathon run across Lake District mountains.

The trainee advanced clinical practitioner has already raised £1,000 for East Cheshire Hospice where Michael Palmer, from Macclesfield, was a patient.

Michael (81) died of cancer last September after a career in television engineering which included a spell living in Vietnam.

 

Michael Palmer

 

Rachel climbed more than 6,000 feet –  equivalent to scaling Ben Nevis – as she ran almost 28 miles over nine and a half hours on the Trail Pursuit course near Lake Windermere.

She said: “I was scrambling up summits where there were obviously no paths and on a hot day it was brutal. The descents were just as horrendous and you needed to be resilient. I’m tough minded but found it very hard.

“My grandad was my best friend and we were lucky to get a place for him at the Hospice. The care and attention he received was incredible and the staff were amazing.

“It meant I could be his granddaughter and spend those last few days with him. I sat and read one of his favourite books Alice in Wonderland to him and we listened to classical music.

“He was peaceful, comfortable and pain free. I wish everyone could have that experience and know that’s not always the case.

“Grandad was the most amazing, intelligent kind and funny man who had high morals. He always believed in doing the right thing to help someone if he could and loved magical fairy stories and childhood wonder.”

 

Michael Palmer with his dog Archie.

 

Rachel, an Army reservist, found the Trail Pursuit challenge harder than a marathon she completed in stifling heat and humidity in Sierra Leone in 2015.

“The first and last few miles along the Cumbrian Way were fairly flat but the mountains, including Bowfell, the ninth highest summit in England, required a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”

Rachel has already reached double her initial fundraising target of £500. She said: “I think my grandad would have been so proud of me and anyone who sponsors me is making a difference to someone’s end-of-life care.”

* To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/rachel-wild6

It did not take long to find enough brave volunteers for a wacky wing walk in aid of East Cheshire Hospice.

Places were soon filled by supporters looking to escape lockdown blues by enjoying the thrill of a lifetime on top of a classic 1940s Boeing Stearman biplane.

High flyers include seven female Hospice staff, all terrified by the prospect of soaring through the skies above Gloucestershire in June.

Health care assistants Joanne Helm, Jill Harding, Caroline Allen and Pam Webster will be joined by complementary therapist Gill Black, staff nurse Laura Parker and fundraiser Bethan Wade.

 

Top (from left): Laura Parker, Jill Harding and Joanna Helm. Bottom: Bethan Wade, Gill Black and Pam Webster. Middle:  Caroline Allen

 

Mum-of-three Joanne said: “I’m not very good with heights and can’t get past the third rung of a ladder when I’m decorating. But I love my job and the hospice desperately needs fund, so I’ve plucked up the courage to overcome my nerves.”

Caroline said: “I must be crackers, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to raise much-needed funds for the hospice after a really difficult year.

“I’ve worked at the Hospice for nearly four years now and every day I witness the wonderful work everyone does there.

“This last year has been especially tough with the lack of fundraising events happening,  so I thought it was time I stepped up and did my bit to help out. Plus, on a personal level, I needed something to make up for the lack of excitement in my life over lockdown!”

The Hospice has had a special place in Jill Harding’s heart since her late mum  Mary Barber was a patient there 18 years ago.

Jill held her wedding reception in the Sunflower Centre so Mary could attend before she passed away, aged 58.

Jill later became a volunteer and then joined the staff. She said: “Mum was only a patient for eight days but as a family we were blown away by the love and care she received.

“I adore my job and thank my mum every day for guiding me in this direction. I’m always looking for ways to repay the Hospice and what better way than to accept a challenge.”

Both Bethan and Laura must conquer a fear of heights for the 10-minute flight and like their colleagues will be spurred on by fundraising.

After giving inspiring talks about fundraising at memory walks, Pam is tackling her own special solo walk.

 

Wing Walk –  The challenge facing the wing walkers.

 

All their individual JustGiving pages are available via the links below:

Bethan Wade – Challenge Events Coordinator – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bethan-wingwalk

Joanne Helm – Health Care Assistant – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joanne-helm1

Gill Black – Complementary Therapist – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gill-black1

Jill Harding – Health Care Assistant IPU – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jill-Harding2

Caroline Allen – Health Care Assistant IPU – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/c-allen8

Pam Webster – Health Care Assistant IPU – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pamela-webster11

Laura Parker – Staff Nurse – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/laura-parker47

The final footsteps taken by Lucy Coppack on her epic journey around the Peak District will be the most poignant.

The path to the top of Shutlingsloe above Macclesfield was designed by her late mum Lynne and partly built by her dad Ian.

The landmark will therefore provide a fitting climax to her record attempt to climb all 88 trig points in the Peak District as quickly as possible.

 

The Shutlingsloe path Lucy’s mum designed and her dad helped build.

 

The combined height of the coordinate trigs is around 35,000 metres.

Lucy is already well on the way towards raising £7,500 for East Cheshire Hospice where her mum was a patient 25 years ago.

That is how much it costs to provide a day’s care at the Hospice which provides some of Lucy’s earliest childhood memories.

She was just a toddler when her mum died of breast cancer, aged 38.

 

Lucy with her late mum Lynne.

 

Now 28, Lucy said: “I was too small to remember much about my mum, but I’ve got happy memories of the Hospice.

“That’s why I’m driven to do this challenge because those memories aren’t sad. They’d serve her sherry in the evenings and I’d play with the toys. Every year I still get a birthday card from the nurses.”

Lucy starts her adventure next month and aims to finish in September.

She said: “Not many have climbed all the trigs and they haven’t done it against the clock. I’m hoping to climb several each week.

“The shortest climb is six miles and the longest up to 20 miles and I’ve made it my mission to walk, run, and even crawl if necessary.”

 

Lucy Coppack by one of the trig points.

 

Lucy’s challenge will fit round her job with Royal London where she is a financial services coach, a role that includes promoting well-being and mental health.

Her parents, from Langley, met when Lynne was Ian’s boss. He worked on a project she had designed.

As a landscape architect, Lynne ran a joint project between the Peak park and Cheshire County Council to re-instate the footpath up to Shutlingsloe.

The stone was flown in by helicopter and Lucy’s father, a council ranger, ran the project on the ground.

Lucy said: “That’s why the path is sentimental to me and means a lot each time I climb it. It was the obvious place to end my challenge and family and friends will hopefully join me on that final leg.”

Lucy is on Instagram via @lucy.does.trigs and to donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-coppack1

 

Lucy preparing for her fundraising adventure.

Walker Norman Meredith has been on the go virtually non-stop since he started his charity challenge.

He completed his mission to cover 1,000 miles in 100 days on Christmas Eve but has hardly put his feet up since.

Norman Meredith during his challenge. 

Norman, from Mottram St Andrew, said: “I think I rested for one day once I’d finished, but I’ve become so addicted to walking I’ve been out on seven or eight mile walks every day.

“It’s been great for my general fitness, I’ve lost weight and slept like a baby. I’d definitely recommend the exercise.”

Norman is raising funds for East Cheshire Hospice in memory of his father Dennis (86) who died in November 2018.

Dennis was chairman of the Macclesfield-based Prince Albert Angling Society – one of the biggest fishing clubs in Europe – for 25 years.

In his final days he was cared for by Hospice @Home nurses.

Norman said: “The Hospice were magnificent and I’d like everyone to know just how good they were. I vowed to do some fundraising and given the current circumstances felt it was appropriate to do something now.”

“The Hospice needs all the financial help it can get at this difficult time. Care is provided free of charge so any fundraising makes a difference.”

Dennis Meredith and wife Alma.

The retired sales executive used various routes as he kept to his average distance of 10 miles a day.

“I was amazed how many new friends I made who live within half a mile of my house just by going for a walk. People I didn’t know before would stop for a chat.”

A weekly route was to Aldi where he bought two bottles of Chilean Pinot Noir. “I became known as Clinking Norman because I’d got my favourite tipple in my rucksack.

“I was always very active, running marathons and half marathons, and played sport and have enjoyed walking.”

* To sponsor Norman visit justgiving.com/fundraising/norman-meredith

Norman Meredith on his 1,000-mile walk in aid of East Cheshire Hospice.