My father had a huge impact on my life. He worked incredibly hard to give the rest of our family privileged lives full of great memories. Of course, in order for us to “give back” we often had to indulge his raft of hobbies that lasted a week or two at a time or share the dinner table with him in head to toe cycling gear after his triathlon training sessions…talk about being put off your sandwich! My Dad and I were in a lot of ways very different people, especially in my teenage years. He was born for the outdoors and so many of my memories of him involve him spending every available moment working away in the garden. Meanwhile I was much more interested in music and computer games. I would often be dragged out into the garden during the summer holidays to help with whatever the task of the day was, which in my mind was usually a complete waste of time!

Outside of the garden, he loved to walk and explore. He was always far more adventurous than the rest of the family, always having to see “what was around the next corner” which became a standard phrase we’d hear on holiday as he went off to snorkel for hours or walk on ahead to see what the next bay or cliff had to offer. In order to satisfy his thirst for exploring he would often go walking with his great friend, John, and the two of them would go away for a weekend together, walking for miles at a time (although it sounded as if this was mostly driven by where the next pub was…). He would often tell us stories of his earlier days where he trekked across Iceland in the snow, regularly went scuba diving/sailing, or of his childhood causing mischief with his brothers.

It's this outdoor lifestyle that he loved that inspired me to take on the Three Peaks Challenge in memory of my father.

For those who don’t know, the 3 peaks challenge is a mountaineering challenge in which you tackle the 3 highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales all within 24 hours. This is not only a physical and mental challenge, but something that my Dad would truly have enjoyed doing himself, and therefore, I think the perfect way to remember him and raise money for a good cause, Royal Trinity Hospice. 

The care that he received from Royal Trinity Hospice was fantastic; not just for him, but for the rest of the family as we came around the clock to be with him.

When he moved from the hospital to the hospice, it was such a relief as it felt like moving to a 5-star hotel! The rooms were large and bright; he had views over the gardens and the staff were excellent. Everyone from the Doctors to the nurses knew not just him, but the rest of the family as well and constantly made us feel relaxed and as if he was safe when we couldn’t be there ourselves. The doctors and nurses were so kind and personable and came around regularly to update us all on his condition. The care staff were fantastic, changing him multiple times a day, cooking 3 meals a day and generally being there for anything you required. The whole environment greatly helped not just him, but all of us as we went through this dark time and looking back, I’m not sure how we would have coped had Trinity not been there to look after him.

My family and I feel very strongly that we need to “pay back” the care that he received from Royal Trinity Hospice and help out where we can to ensure that the hospice is able to continue to run effectively and continue to help families and individuals when they so desperately need it.

The Hospice is a light in the dark for those who are unfortunate enough to require its services. We will never be able to thank Trinity enough for everything that they did for my dad and us all during his time there, but hopefully the money raised from this challenge will help ensure that the Hospice is able to continue to operate and provide its services free of charge to anyone who needs it.

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