St Catherine’s Hospice wish Vietnam trekkers good luck
St Catherine’s Hospice waved a group of brave fundraisers off in style on Saturday to begin a five day trek in Vietnam to raise vital funds for the local hospice’s work. Supporters and family members gathered at the Crawley hospice to enjoy food and drink with the trekkers before a coach departed for Heathrow and marked the start of their epic journey.
Ahead of their trip the 15 trekkers were surprised with journals and good luck cards designed and hand made by St Catherine’s Day Hospice patients. Made in art sessions, the journals and cards wished each trekker luck for their trip and thanked them for all their fundraising efforts. Nancy Conway, one of the trekkers, said: “It was a real surprise to receive handmade journals and cards with good luck wishes from the Day Hospice patients, they brought a tear to my eye. It was lovely of them to make them for us and I feel very blessed to be able to give something back whilst having an adventure of a lifetime!”
About the trek
The bespoke trek is the first of its kind for St Catherine’s and the hospice is hoping to raise £50,000 in the brand new challenge. Each trekker was asked to raise a minimum of £2,800 sponsorship and, as they set off, many trekkers had already exceeded this target. For each day the team trek in Vietnam, they’ll be funding five hours of at home care for a patient by St Catherine’s Community Nursing Team. Thanks to their efforts, patients will benefit from expert end of life care and support in the comfort of their own homes.
The trekker’s five day hike will take them far off the beaten track into the remote and beautiful hills of Northern Vietnam in the Pù Luông Nature Reserve. Walking up to 20 kilometres per day, they’ll pass through remote villages, and gain an authentic insight into Vietnamese culture as they spend their nights in traditional stilted houses.
For more information about how you can take part in a St Catherine’s challenge event please visit: www.stch.org.uk or call Hannah Cooke in the Events Team on 01293 447355.
