Walk to raise funds for hospice

A woman whose nineyear-old daughter died unexpectedly is among those who have signed up to walk up to 10,000 steps a day to raise money for a Sussex children’s hospice.

Maggie Williams had never heard of Chestnut Tree House, near Arundel, until the death of her daughter, Megan, in 2007. She said: ““When I was asked if I wanted Megan to go to Chestnut Tree House to rest before her funeral, I just said ‘yes’ without really knowing what I was agreeing to.

“When we arrived at Chestnut Tree House, we were greeting by the team and told that Megan had her own room, her own nurse and that we could spend as much time there as we wanted.

“I didn’t understand why we were being allocated a nurse as Megan was no longer with us, but I came to understand how comforting it was, and the wonderful support we received from everyone at Chestnut Tree House was invaluable. We had time to sit in silence, time to be together, time to say goodbye.”

Chestnut Tree House nurses and care support workers walk on average 7,000–10,000 steps per shift, depending on the needs of the child or young person that they are caring for.

By signing up to take part in the Nurses’ Steps virtual challenge, you are challenging yourself to walk a month in their footsteps.

Maggie has already raised more than £500 on her JustGiving page, but is hoping to raise more when she starts her Nurses’ Steps challenge on 1 February. To join Maggie and sign up to take part in this new virtual challenge, visit www.chestnut-tree-house. org.uk/nurses-steps