Saturday night in Sheffield City Center saw just over 1000 walkers/fundraisers gather in Tudor Square to take part in the first Nightstrider to raise funds for St Luke’s Hospice.
If you are not familiar with St Luke’s it is a Hospice that provides Sheffield people who have life-limiting illness the best possible quality of life for their last few months / weeks / days. Its free of charge and in order to keep going they have to raise 5.6 million pounds a year.
I’m not sure what the Jersey Boys (Currently playing at the Lyceum) must have made of it all, we were making quite a bit of noise!
It was the first event of this kind to be held by St Lukes but I’m sure, and hope, it will become an annual event.
There was the choice to walk either the 10k or half marathon. Our team ‘The Not So Famous 5’ took the 10k option. I’d love to have attempted the half marathon, but I’m not so sure my legs would have! Maybe next time eh?
The atmosphere in the square on the run up to the start was electric; a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The warm up exercise session hosted by Pure Gym was fun.
It got everybody dancing, courtesy of some fab tunes and …. ‘dance like your dad’ moves on our part !!
Warmed up and ready to walk – The Not So Famous Five – Julia, Sheila, Vicky, Sue and I in high spirits
Everyone participating in Nightstrider was doing so for their our own personal reasons. The person / reason pinned to our back’s. Above the memorial wall where everybody got a chance to write a message for a loved one they had lost.
I was walking in remembrance of my Uncle Ron who spent his last few weeks in St Luke’s a few years ago. The staff were amazing and made sure he was as comfortable and happy as could be (under the circumstances)
It took us just under 2.5 hours to complete the course, with a short ‘brandy pit-stop’ at Loch Fyne Bar & Restaurant … to warm us up of course!
With just 5 minutes to go until midnight we crossed the finish line, surprisingly with a swing in our step and elated to have completed.
We may have had sore feet / knees / hips but we also had very happy hearts. It’s a good feeling to ‘give back’
It’s now Monday and my legs are finally regaining some sort of normality. Put it this way I’m not walking like John Wayne anymore. Well maybe just a little.
St Luke’s Hospice really is a ‘god-send’ for a-lot of people, making the darkest of days seem that little bit brighter. There is still plenty of time to donate, and each and every penny helps. Please DONATE HERE
Until next time, Tracey x