Town man goes the extra mile in memory of his mum
CRAIG Wilson, 36, originally from Grimsby recently completed the incredible North Yorkshire Moors Trail Marathon as part of a fundraising initiative for St Andrews Hospice in Grimsby – the place that cared for his mother, a palliative nurse who also worked at the hospice.
Sadly, his mum Angie Walmsley, 56, passed away in May from cancer and the hospice where she had worked for several years, provided care and support to her and her family in her last few days.
Craig said: “My mum was an amazing woman who dedicated her life to caring for others. Before she passed away, she was a palliative care worker for the hospice and visited the homes of patients in need, making sure that they were comfortable and lending an ear to anyone in need whether they were the patients or families of those patients.
“The hospice team were incredible and really supported all of us in our time of need.”
Craig was driven to give something back and set himself the gruelling task of training for the 26 miles long North Yorkshire Moors Trail Marathon. He set himself a fundraising target of £1,000 but quickly exceeded that with pledges of over £1500 in the first 36 hours with family, friends and colleagues from Portable Offices – the firm he works for in Luton - quickly jumping on board and supporting his challenge.
“Everyone was so amazing and incredibly supportive, so I raised my target to £2,500 and have nearly reached that,” Craig commented.
Craig came 28th out of 49 competitors in a time of six hours and 19 minutes running through the wild moorlands at an elevation of 4,000 feet over rocks and punishing terrain with rough ground and precipitous cliffs. “The course was brutal with hills and rocky paths that gave me a few hairy moments. My mum never gave up on anything she set her mind to and she would have been so proud of me to see me doing something to help others as she had for the duration of her career.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported me and sponsored me.” If you would like to support Craig. Visit https://www. justgiving.com/fundraising/craigwilson51