Louis McCaffrey and his best friend Jack Morley fundraised £3,238 for St Luke’s in memory of Louis’ Mum, Elizabeth, after the care she received at the end of her life.

Through their social media platform ‘Behind the Peak’, 22-year-old Louis and his friend Jack organised their first fundraising challenge - a 10km charity walk through the Peak District in April this year.

Louis was just 16 when his mum was diagnosed with myeloma – a type of blood cancer. It came as a massive shock to the family, and Louis says it was hard to understand how someone who appeared happy and healthy was now so unwell. Over the next few years, treatments became less effective and Elizabeth’s diagnosis was changed to lymphoma.

Louis described his mum’s strength and attitude to her treatment as similar to Tyson Fury or Fabio Wardley, mentioning that she even did a job interview while in hospital just weeks after her first stem cell transplant.

“We all understood the circumstances but my mum’s attitude never changed. She was determined and unimaginably strong,” he said.

As Elizabeth’s health deteriorated, Louis and his family could no longer provide the care she needed. This is where St Luke’s stepped in. Elizabeth received support at home from the St Luke’s Community Team – support which Louis explains was around the clock, ensuring his mum was as comfortable as possible.

“St Luke’s were our knights in shining armour. This is the kind of support you need in these situations, it kept me and my family sane. We are forever grateful to the hospice for the support they gave,” he said.

Two months after Elizabeth died, Louis decided to start a project with his best friend, Jack. They started the Instagram page Behind the Peak (@behindthepeak_) to share the beauty of the Peaks with more people online. They particularly wanted to get young people exploring the outdoors as an alternative to spending time on their phones and looking at screens.

They use their social media page to show the highlights of the Peak District, giving tips and advice on hiking trails, pubs, and even where to find the best roast dinner. Since starting the page, they’ve had over 120,000 views and nearly 1,000 new followers.

In January this year, Louis and Jack decided they wanted to use their platform to raise money for St Luke’s. After hours of planning, working out how to bring people together and raise money, they decided their first fundraising challenge would be a 10km walk through the Peaks. They advertised the event on Instagram and invited everyone to join and donate.

The walk, which Louis described as “a day many people will remember for the rest of their lives” took place in April this year and raised over £3,000.

Louis said that the experience has made him rethink what fundraising can look like, and he’s realised that he wants to do more to support charities, especially St Luke’s.

“Fundraising seemed a bit of chore when I was younger, but now I’ve found a new passion and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,” Louis said.

St Luke’s Community Fundraiser, Olivia Yates, says the charity needs to fundraise over £11million each year to keep the hospice services running – thanks to people like Louis and Jack.

“We are so grateful to Louis, Jack and everyone who came together to support Behind the Peak to raise such a fantastic amount in Liz’s memory.”

“The pair have already hinted that this might not be their last fundraising challenge, so you can follow Louis and Jack on their Instagram account @behindthepeak_ to stay up to date with their progress!”