JENNY Scott and her friends will be taking up the St Luke’s Night Strider Virtual Challenge this October as a special tribute to her mum Ann.
Night Strider - sponsored by Pricecheck and Gripple - is our popular charity spectacular, now in its seventh year, that sees supporters heading off on either a 10k or half marathon walking challenge.
This year will once again see participants taking on the challenge in their own way, choosing their own Covid-safe October routes and dates as Night Strider goes virtual for a second time.
And for Jenny and her fellow walkers - the Jagger Bombs - it will be a chance to remember Ann, who was a St Luke’s patient as she reached the end of her battle against cancer.
“When mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer we were two weeks into a pandemic and we were not allowed to see her - all I could do was stand at the door and it was very difficult,” Jenny says.
“When she went into hospital we couldn’t visit either but then the decision was made that it was time for her to go to St Luke’s and she spent the last week of her life there.
“We’d heard all these reports about people passing away alone and we were frightened that would happen but St Luke’s were fantastic and took all those fears away.
“It was such a lovely place and the support we received at a very difficult time is something I’ll never forget.
“Even though it was very sad I still have very fond memories of that time, of mum’s lovely room and the staff who made her feel very comfortable.
“Up until my mum being a patient, I had no personal reason to specifically want to raise money for a hospice but I was so grateful that I got to have that special time with mum that I knew I wanted to do something.”
And it was as a special tribute that Jenny and her friends became the Jagger Bombs - a jokey tribute to the way Ann mispronounced the name of a drink on a night out - and raised more than £5,000 for our patient care.
This October they’ll be striding again and once more hoping to give us a real boost.
“We did it on a Saturday night in October last year and it was damp and wet but we brought our own glow sticks and leg warmers and we had a great time and really enjoyed it," Jenny says.
“It’s something I definitely want to do again - it’s a challenge and it’s a lovely tribute to my mum.”
To find out more about Night Strider Virtual Challenge and how to get involved simply visit Night Strider