As many people put their feet up over the August Bank Holiday, Laurie Chew, accompanied by family and friends, embarked on a trek of a lifetime up – and down! – Ben Nevis to raise money for John Taylor Hospice and Cancer Support Centre.
Laurie, her sister Vicky, niece Nadine and friends, Clare Scattergood and Elizabeth Holmes, from Stirchley, all took on the challenge in memory of mum and nan, Pauline Chew.
Laurie said: “Three years ago we lost our beautiful mom to oesophagus cancer. Mom was a one-off, full of energy, humour and love, who was not only my mom but my best friend.
“When we were told that she was palliative John Taylor Hospice provided her with expert care, love and even special moments during her final weeks at the hospice, which we never dreamt would be possible at such a time.
“The staff at he hospice were also there for us, the family, with emotional support.”
The group decided to climb Ben Nevis as Scotland holds a number of precious memories for Laurie and Vicky who holidayed their with their mum in the past.
Laurie added: “I remember mom being in awe of the geography of Glencoe, with its deep valleys and towering mountains, as well as its chequered history.
“On our last trip together, we took the cable car up Ben Nevis, though it was that cloudy we could hardly see past our noses. We also felt that Ben Nevis being the highest mountain in the UK, would encourage more people to donate.”
The group set off from Birmingham at 5.30am on Saturday, 28th August making the journey up to Scotland in preparation for their trek.
Speaking about how they were feeling before beginning the challenge on Sunday, Laurie said: “The majority of us were feeling daunted and nervous about the challenge itself. However, we all committed to completing the challenge as a group and fundraising certainly was another incentive as we embarked up Ben Nevis.”
Thankfully, the weather was on side of the ladies as they took on the challenge on Sunday, 29th August and the determined group made it all the way to the summit, while managing to take in some of the breathtaking views along the way.
Laurie added: “It was a complete team effort to achieve the challenge, especially for my sister Vicky who suffers with vertigo. We started at the Ben Nevis visitor’s centre and walked the Pony Track, which took us a full day, approximately 11 hours to get up and down safely.
“To date, with cash and online donations, we have raised just over £1,000, which is amazing and we would to thank all our family and friends for their support. If anyone else would wish to support us on challenge it would be greatly appreciated.”
You can still donate to the fundraiser here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/NadineChew
We would like to say a huge thank you from John Taylor Hospice to Laurie, Vicky, Nadine, Clare and Elizabeth for their incredible fundraising challenge and choosing to support our hospice, we could not do what we do without these donations.
