Braving the heat to support hospice care

Fundraising in memory of Gaynor

Val Fowler from St Albans is preparing to walk over hot coals at our Firewalk to say thank you to Rennie Grove Peace for the care her sister, Gaynor, received.  

After being diagnosed with a rare sarcoma at the beginning of the year, Gaynor spent the last few weeks of her life in our Inpatient Unit at Peace Hospice, Watford, where Val says the whole team went above and beyond to deliver exceptional care that helped the family create precious memories.  Val tells the story. 

“The care Gaynor received at Peace Hospice exceeded anything we could have expected. From the moment she was admitted everybody was just so welcoming. 

“Gaynor had spent most of the year in hospital before she was admitted to Peace Hospice. Her room at the Inpatient Unit was just beautiful, with doors opening out to the courtyard that let the summer breeze come through. It meant so much to Gaynor to have that easy access to the courtyard after spending so much time on a hospital ward.” 

An unusual visitor to the IPU

 Gaynor loved horses and had her own horse, Logan, who had been a source of comfort and joy to her for many years. When she could no longer visit Logan at his yard, one of Gaynor’s friends suggested bringing an equine visitor to her, to recreate a little of the joy and comfort that Gaynor felt from being around horses. Val says:  

“One of Gaynor’s friends has a Shetland pony that she offered to bring to visit Gaynor. When we asked the staff at Peace Hospice whether we could bring a Shetland pony to visit her in the garden, they didn’t even hesitate in saying yes! I don’t imagine it’s something they’ve been asked very often but you could see they would just do whatever they needed to, to help create special moments for their patients. 

“Gaynor was so happy that this was even an option. She loved having the pony visit. Horses had been a huge part of her life for about 30 years so the fact she could bring her passion with her to the Inpatient Unit meant a great deal to her.” 

Gaynor sadly died on Monday 12 May 2025.  

Braving the Firewalk!

In order to thank to give back for the care Gaynor received, Val started researching ways to fundraise. After spotting the upcoming Firewalk on our website, she signed up for the challenge along with her son, Mackenzie.