Brother and sister Daniel and Stephanie Watson have conquered Mount Snowdon to raise funds for St Luke’s, in a heartfelt tribute to their dad, Frank Watson, who was cared for at the hospice earlier this year.
Frank, originally from Penrith, Cumbria, spent most of his life in Sheffield and spent the last weeks of his life in St Luke’s In Patient Centre before sadly dying in June this year.
During his time at St Luke’s, the team helped Frank and his wife Jacqui renew their wedding vows in a moving ceremony that brought the whole family together, and created lasting memories.
Determined to give back for the care their family received, on 21 September, Steph and Daniel took on the 3,500ft ascent, carrying a small portion of Frank’s ashes with them to honour his memory.
“Our dad, Frank, spent the last few weeks of his life at St Luke’s in June 2025 following a long battle with cancer,” said Steph.
“The care he and our family received was amazing and the staff were incredible – adding some light to the most difficult time. The doctors and nurses had so much time for him and were so compassionate, and the catering staff also brought a little magic to our sad days.”
It was one day when visiting their dad that Steph and Daniel saw a poster advertising St Luke’s Snowden event and they decided to sign up. Despite the event later being cancelled, the siblings still went ahead with their plan – determined to fulfil Frank’s wish.
“We didn’t want to let Dad down,” Steph explained. “Dad had said he was coming with us, so that’s what we did. We took a bit of his ashes up with us so he joined us along the way.”
And joining them at the summit was not only their Mum, Jacqui, who took the train up to share the moment, but also Frank himself, through a heartfelt video message Daniel had recorded with him earlier this year.
“We raised a glass to Dad at the top, and shared a few tears as we watched his message saying, ‘well done kids for climbing Mount Snowdon.’ It was emotional but such a lovely day, and the views were amazing!”
St Luke’s Community and Events Fundraising Manager, Katie Fielding, said: “We are so grateful to the Watson family for their incredible support – and what truly inspiring achievement.”
“The £2,250 they’ve raised will go a long way in helping St Luke’s support future families across Sheffield when they need it most.”
“Stories like Steph and Daniel’s show how powerful fundraising can be. Whether it’s climbing a mountain, hosting a coffee morning or taking on a personal challenge, every pound raised helps us reach even more families across Sheffield.”
Feeling inspired? Sign up to one of our events or find out more about fundraising for St Luke’s by visiting www.stlukeshospice.org.uk/events