Trekkers head to Nepal to raise funds for Lancaster hospice

After nine months of fundraising activities and fitness training, 13 devoted trekkers are putting their best feet forward to trek the Annapurna mountain range circuit at the foothills of the infamous Himalayas.

The team boarded the coach at St John’s on Thursday at 4.30pm bound for Manchester Airport and their flight to Dubai and then on to Kathmandu.

This is the fourth trek for St John’s and like previous participants many of the trekkers have very personal reasons for doing something for the Hospice.

Several people have been long- time supporters or taken part in previous treks. Others have no prior connection to the hospice - just a desire to take up the challenge to help - and all are passionate supporters of St John’s.

Charlotte Baxendale, one of the hospice’s Clinical Nurse Specialists and first time trekker said of the adventure: “Nepal has always been on my bucket list, so I am really looking forward to learning more about the local culture and seeing some amazing sights.

"t is important for me to support St John’s because I have seen first-hand the wonderful work that gets done in the Hospice and in patients’ homes.”

Maureen “Mo” Coutts turned 60 years young three days before departing for Nepal and decided the challenge of the trek was a good way to kick start her retirement.

Mo said: “I decided I wanted to be walking, not working! I’ve been involved with St John’s since my dad came here as a day hospice patient.

"Without the hospice services there would be so many people struggling, they do a fabulous job and are a wonderful charity, and we need to keep them going – so that’s why I’m doing this trek!”

Trekkers have given up hours and hours of their own personal time to run coffee mornings and charity balls, bake cakes and then sell them, stand in stores and streets holding collection tins in all weathers, organising evening events and afternoon teas, approaching businesses to ask for prizes for raffles, and asking their family, friends, and work colleagues to sponsor them.

On top of that they have also spent many hours training to ensure they can cope with the demands of walking up some gruelling terrain at high altitude, which they will be doing over several days.

Catherine Butterworth, Director of Income Generation, said: “The Nepal team have worked so hard with their fundraising over recent months and we are so proud of them all for supporting the work of St John’s.

"As they set off today they have raised an incredible amount for St John’s Hospice and with our local community behind them they are hoping to raise even more,

“The trekkers are special people, and along with everyone in our local community who chooses to give of their time, or money to support St John’s, we are sincerely and deeply grateful. If not for people like our Nepal trekkers, and indeed all St John’s supporters and volunteers, we would not be here. It is as simple as that.

“Thank you to everyone out there who has supported our Nepal Trekkers over the last nine months and to everyone who supports St John’s Hospice in any way.”

It costs more than £5 million a year to run the Inpatient Ward, Day Therapy Centre, Hospice at Home team and Clinical Nurse Specialists who care for people with life shortening illnesses in north Lancashire, South Lakes and parts of North Yorkshire.

St John’s receives around one third of its funding from the NHS, which means St John’s has to raise more than £9,000 per day, every day, from the local community.

To donate to The Nepal Trek fund, go online here