My association with City Hospice goes back a very long time but started when my dear wife Carol became very unwell.  Throughout this extensive period of treatment we received home visits from nurses and a doctor from City Hospice. They provided much needed help and advice, up to the time she passed away in 2018.

City Hospice counselling service has been my lifeline

In this Challenge, I have teamed up with Ellie, a neighbour and graduate of Cognitive Neuroscience, who has the same desires to help the community through the excellent support provided by City Hospice.  Ellie is glad to help a fantastic local charity whose services have supported many friends and family going through extremely challenging times. It is also a particularly tough time for charities, so any effort, big or small will go a long way to help the hospice to provide essential services for the community.Since that time I have had bereavement counselling from City Hospice. The counsellors have been my lifeline to return to the new way of life necessitated by Carol’s passing. This has led to a group of similarly affected people forming a Bereavement Group (BFG), who are involved together in both social and fund raising activities for charity. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic we decided to explore a way in which we could help in raise money for City Hospice by joining a Virtual Challenge. Walking 50k in September is within the physical ability of most of us. This year I shall also be thinking of a dear friend Geoff who passed away recently and Margaret (Carol’s friend from teaching days), both of whom are/were cared for by City Hospice.

Ellie and I are taking part in our challenge we’ve called “Come Together September” because we don’t want to let the end of summer get in the way of getting out and about and having a chat. Determined to keep each other motivated, we have given ourselves the challenge to walk 50km collectively over the month of September.

The power of our community has never been stronger

Not only do we want to encourage each other, but we also want to get the street involved. In light of recent events, the power of community spirit has never been stronger. So we thought why not get the street together by walking and talking? By walking 50km in September, not only does this challenge offer the chance to speak to neighbours we know well, but it also provides the perfect opportunity to get to know the neighbours we don’t know so well. Even if some residents don’t want to take part in the physical aspect of the challenge, they can easily support the cause by sponsoring those who take part or by spreading the word. The benefits of the challenge are also as far reaching as walking and talking to others, that are a proven way of improving both physical and mental health.

We are both super excited to see our street come together and take on this challenge.

It is also great that all proceeds will go towards supporting such a great cause which holds a special place in our hearts. The only slight concern is the weather, but we are both happy to crack on rain or shine.

We would love to get as many members of the street involved as possible. Even though we are targeting our street (Hendre Close), we would also love the idea to spread elsewhere and encourage other streets to come together and collectively walk 50km this September.

The challenge is also a great way of engaging with those who may not get the chance to socialise very often as age and ability really don’t matter. Any contribution will be appreciated, and who knows, it may spark friendships which will last a lifetime.