Wrekin 24-hour walking charity challenge going strong

Hospice at Home nurses provide round the clock care for people in their own homes - hence the 24 hour challenge - and at the top of the Wrekin it is possible to see the towns and villages served by the Severn Hospice caregivers.

"A team is leaving every hour on the hour," said Hospice at Home sister Sharon Evans.

"It doesn't matter how long it takes - one young lad ran from top to bottom in 35 minutes, while others have gone up with picnics and some have had Prosecco at the top!"

Sharon aims to do the up and down five times across the 24 hours, while others do more and some less.

"The first group of walkers to leave Forest Glen car park had 25 people in it, and some four-legged friends. The minimum number we have had is two and there have been other groups of eight, 10 and three!"

The plan is to raise as much money as possible for the cause. And Sharon was cock-a-hoop to have burst through the £3,000 mark in the late afternoon of Saturday.

"I would be over the moon with £3,500, and perhaps we can make £4,000," she added.

Severn Hospice's finances were severely affected by the pandemic; shops were forced to close, events were cancelled, and supporters were asked to stay at home.

Now they are trying to bounce back, with 29 shops open, headline events back in the calender and all important funds flowing into the coffers.

Sharon Evans, who came up with the idea with colleague Debbie Morris, said: “We have been desperate to do something to help with fundraising for a while and then late last year we came up with walking up and down the Wrekin but needed to wait for things to change and the weather to improve.

“We have had a great response with many of our colleagues at the hospice wanting to join in as well as some of our friends and families.

“We want to let people know how important the hospice is. We do not just care for people on our wards – we care for the majority in their own homes, enabling them to live as well as they can with their conditions and in comfort and familiar surroundings for as long as they can.”

Debbie said: “We put the call out and we’ve had volunteers to walk through the night and in the early morning. We have been able to organise everyone, and they all seem pleased with their slots.

“On a cloudless day you can see for miles from the top of the Wrekin, in fact you can almost see the whole area we cover, from Telford & Wrekin in the east across Shropshire to Mid Wales in the west. It just seemed the perfect way to raise funds to support the vital care we provide and bust some myths about what a hospice does.”

Now it is just a case of training as some of the team will be walking up and down the hill multiple times.

“I am also running the London Marathon this year, so this will be brilliant training for me,” added Sharon.

“Others just want to get fit and this has spurred them on.”

Jessica Druce, Severn Hospice fundraiser said: “This really is a great challenge that our staff and their friends and families are doing. It has really captured everyone’s imaginations and is the perfect way to illustrate how our care reaches everywhere. We are so looking forward to April, with the longer days and lighter nights and we know that our generous supporters will be right behind us.”

If you would like to support Sharon and the rest of the team, visit justgiving.com/campaign/HospiceatHomechallenge24