DEBORAH Holmes brought style and a sense of community to the north of Sheffield when she launched department store Sandersons at Fox Valley in Stocksbridge.
And friends and colleagues will be keeping that unique spirit alive when they join our Virtual Night Strider and support our patient care.
Night Strider is the popular St Luke’s October charity spectacular that sees supporters heading off into the night on either a 10k or walking half marathon challenge.
2020 would have marked Night Strider’s sixth anniversary but when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, a new plan had to be developed - and Night Strider has gone virtual!
The Night Strider virtual challenge - sponsored by Pricecheck and Gripple - has participants registering free of charge to do their own fundraising event any time between between now and Saturday October 31.
Deborah Holmes was a patient at St Luke’s and it was in her memory that a team from Sandersons took part in last year’s Night Strider.
They’re back now for Virtual Night Strider, keeping Deborah’s memory alive and at the same time raising money to ensure that other people can experience the same levels of support that Deborah and her family received.
And they’ll be doing that by holding their own Boogie Bounce, a 40 minute fun fitness class on trampettes.
A team of 13 will be taking part at Deepcar Village Hall on October 29, all wearing neon clothing as they take to their socially distanced mini trampolines.
“Deborah was a massive influence on us all both as a boss and as a friend,” said store manager Lisa Fox.
“Wherever she went, she always made people feel good about themselves and gave them the confidence to be what they wanted to be.”
Having seen the excellent levels of care given to Deborah when she needed support the most, the Sandersons team have made St Luke’s a charity that is very much at the heart of everything they do.
“We had the most amazing fun night as a group at Night Strider last year,” Lisa said.
“Everybody taking part was so friendly and we were all there for the same reason – we had all lost somebody or knew somebody who needed St Luke’s support and it was so uplifting right from the start.
“That’s why we knew we had to sign up for the virtual event because we really want to be part of this great occasion.
"We'll be working together for a cause that means so much to us all – and we know Deborah would have liked that.”
To find out more about Virtual Night Strider and how to get involved simply visit Night Strider.