A team of our nurses aim to complete a 24-hour challenge in a bid to raise vital funds. 

The Hospice at Home nurses will be stepping out in April to walk from the bottom to the top of the Wrekin as many times as possible in 24 hours. 

Round-the-clock

The significance of this is that they provide round-the-clock nursing care and cover the whole of the area which can be seen from the top of Shropshire’s highest hill. 

They will be joined by friends and family when the walk gets under way at 11am on April 23. 

Our finances have been severely affected by the pandemic; shops were forced to close, events were cancelled, and supporters were asked to stay at home. 

Bounce

Now, we are trying to bounce back. All 29 shops are open, and some headline events such as the Dragon Boats Festival, which takes place in July, are back on the fundraising calendar. 

Sharon Evans, Hospice at Home sister came up with the idea with colleague Debbie Morrris. Sharon 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. 

Response

“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.”

Amazed

Debbie explained that teams will be walking up and down the Wrekin in relays over the whole 24-hour period. “We were amazed,” she 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. 

London Marathon

“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, go to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/HospiceatHomechallenge24