TEACHER Zara Kindred is making a special journey next month in memory of her father, Rob.
Zara plans to cycle and walk 150 miles over six days from the Dartington Crystal factory in Great Torrington, where her dad worked, to St Peter’s Hospice in Brentry, where he spent the last eight weeks of his life in 2015.
Zara, who teaches health and social care at Montpelier High School in Cheltenham Road, said: “This year marks the tenth anniversary of my dad’s death, and I am determined to honour him by finishing a pledge that I made with my mum and brother – to raise £18,000 for the incredible care provided by St Peter’s Hospice.
“£18,000 is the target as that was the cost of running the hospice for one day in 2015, including all the community work the hospice does. To date, we have raised over £13,500, and we are hoping to raise a further £4,500 to achieve our goal.”
St Peter’s Hospice, which cares for adults with incurable conditions in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire as well as providing support for their families, now says it costs £27,000 a day to provide care. All care is provided free of charge, but the charity relies on gifts in wills, donations, fundraising and money raised through its retail shops to deliver its services, with only per cent of its services paid for by the NHS.
To support Zara, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/zaras150-mile-challenge-for-st-petershospice
The charity is also celebrating after receiving £75,000 thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The funding was awarded through Postcode Community Trust after eight neighbours in Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire, won the Millionaire Street prize in December last year.
Each month, Millionaire Street prizes benefit local communities, with local charities near the winning postcodes receiving a share of £1 million in unrestricted grant funding for their causes.
“We’re absolutely delighted to receive such a substantial sum of money thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery,” said Sarah Allen-Gunn, director of fundraising and communications at St Peter’s Hospice.
“The grant will have a significant impact on the hospice, helping us reach more individuals, and support more families.
“Support like this can help us address a person’s medical needs as well as their emotional, social, practical, psychological and spiritual well-being. Or, it could help us grow our core services, such as the Hospice at Home programme or our 24-hour clinical advice line.”