Supertram driver Mark Kelly swapped public transport for pavement pounding as a special fundraising tribute to wife Olwen.
Olwen was a patient at St Luke’s when she lost her fight against cancer last December.
And to recognise the support the whole family received, Mark set himself a challenge of walking 250 miles throughout the month of April.
That meant abandoning the car and public transport in favour of a walk from his Frecheville home to the Supertram depot every day, with variations in route meaning an average of at least an eight mile trek daily.
And after 28 days of regular walking sessions, Mark had raised an incredible £3,180 for our patient care.
“I just felt I owed St Luke’s so much and that I had to do something to support them,” said Mark.
“It’s the little thing you remember the most, like when Olwen said she liked being able to see the birds in the garden from her room and within 10 minutes a nurse came back with a little bird feeder to fit on the outside of the window.
“They didn’t just support Olwen, they were there for me and our son Adam and when Adam’s partner Lois was having to work remotely, they even provided her with a room.”
Now Mark is determined that the fundraising will continue, with several events already in the pipeline.
“Walking every day gave me time to think, because I would just get my head down no matter what time of day I was doing it and I was amazed by how generous people were,” he said.
“I’d be asking myself why I was doing this thing and then I’d look at my Justgiving page and the total would have gone up again, which is incredible.
“This is only the start of it and now I’m hoping to do a sky dive in September even though I am petrified of heights.
“There’s also a walk with some Supertram colleagues coming up and a Christmas benefit night.
“I just want to do everything I can to make sure other people receive the same sort of care we received.”