A shop assistant, along with her sister and younger brothers, have raised hundreds of pounds for the hospice where their uncle was treated in his final days.
Fiona Williams made the 9½-mile sponsored Summer Stroll through the Welsh countryside, from Dolgellau to Barmouth, which was organised by Wrexham’s Nightingale House Hospice.
The 27-year-old, who works at Poundworld in Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre, was accompanied by her sister Carrie, a trainee hairdresser at Coleg Cambria, plus their brothers Jay, a pupil at Wrexham’s St Joseph’s School, and Jesse-Lee, aged seven, who goes to Ysgol Bodhyfryd.
“We did it in memory of our uncle Brian Williams, who died a few years ago from lung cancer – he was treated at the hospice, and we wanted to give something back,” explained Fiona, who lives in Smithfield Road, Wrexham.
”The hospice is very good at looking after both the person who is ill and helping the family as well, and I know that my auntie Annette got a lot of support. I have a lot of lovely memories of my uncle – as do the others – and we still miss him, especially at family times such as Christmas.
“The boys did really well on the walk – fortunately it was along the estuary and so reasonably flat. I wasn’t sure that Jesse-Lee would be able to make it, but I was very proud when he finished it. Our mum Nancy had a big smile on her face when she saw him finish it. We managed it in about three and a half hours, which isn’t bad for that distance. I and my sister dance with the Cardells Morris group so I suppose we have built up stamina over the years, and the boys play a lot of sport.
“My colleagues at work, in the Eagles Meadow shopping centre, have been very supportive, as have our family and friends,” added Fiona, who has worked at Poundworld for four years.
The four siblings raised £200 with the Summer Stroll, with more than £6,500 in total pledged on the day by supporters of others who took part in the trek along the Mawddach Trail. Fiona previously raised £150 for the hospice by taking part in the charity’s Midnight Walk around Wrexham.
“I’d like to do something else, but I’m not sure what yet,” added Fiona.
Nightingale House Hospice, which costs £7,000 a day to run, provides free specialist palliative care services to patients and their families from across north-east and mid Wales.
Margaret Hollings, Area Fundraiser for the hospice, said: “All of us at the Hospice are so grateful for the work that fundraisers like Fiona do. Without their help, we would not be able to provide vital palliative and end of life care to the local community. So all our supporters should be proud in knowing that they make a real difference to the lives of local patients – and of course, it’s wonderful to know that people have enjoyed themselves raising money for Nightingale House.”
Services include a 12 bed inpatient ward, a 15 patient daycare unit, an outpatient clinic, a specialist lymphodema unit, occupational therapy, complementary therapies, physiotherapy including a hydrotherapy pool and an ambulance service. A range of bereavement support services are offered including a specialist service for children and young adults.
