Hotfooting it to help the hospice
Woodlands Park: Firewalkers face fears – and hot coals
Volunteers were ‘spurred on’ to hop across hot fire coals burning at 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to raise more than £9,000 for the Alexander Devine charity.
The children’s hospice service held it’s first fire walk on Saturday at its site in Snowball Hill, Woodlands Park, with 21 people signing up to the event.
Among those taking part was co-founder and CEO of the charity, Fiona Devine.
She said: “There was definitely some pre-walk jitters but there was such a wonderful atmosphere on the night and everyone was so supportive. We were definitely spurred on by all the amazing supporters
“I was so impressed by everyone who took part and the incredible amount of money that collectively we managed to raise.
“A massive thank you to all the brave firewalkers that joined me and everyone who supported us. It means so much to me and the children and families that we support, especially at a time when fundraising income continues to be impacted.”
Before the event all participants received training to learn the secret of walking on fire by twice Guinness World Record holder for the
greatest distanced walked on fire, Scott Bell from UK Firewalk.
He taught them how to keep their cool and face their fears to walk across the embers.
The firewalkers and spectators were treated to music from the Devine Buskers and food from Tonks Cooks, Little Brick Pantry and Angelina’s Cantina.
One brave firewalker was Liz Price, 58, whose daughter Jess is one of the charity’s clinical nurse specialists.
Liz only decided to sign up to the event a week before and raised more than £860 which is enough to fund 20 hours of specialist care for a child with complex healthcare needs.
She said: “I have never done anything like this before but I was inspired to take part because of the story behind the hospice, the children and families that it supports and the first-hand reports from my daughter about how incredible it is and the difference it makes to people’s lives.
“I was rather terrified at the thought of walking over the hot coals but it was an incredible experience and I feel proud to have faced my fears and been able to support this wonderful charity.”