Going the distance for Rennie Grove Peace

Fundraising in honour of Grandad

This year Dani and her mum, Sue, are pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and tackling a number of new challenges, in memory of her grandad who asked the pair to fundraise for Rennie Grove Peace, while the charity’s nurses were caring for him at the end of his life.  

Dani says:  

“My grandad was diagnosed with terminal cancer in May 2024. Towards the end of the year his health had really deteriorated and he was pretty much bedbound. At this stage he was referred to Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care and the Hospice at Home team cared for him at home. As well as nurses, he was looked after by the carers of the Rapid Personalised Care Service.  

“Grandad loved the carers who looked after him. They were all so kind and caring. They went above and beyond. There was even one carer who was an incredible opera singer and she would sing to him while she cared for him. He loved that. He liked opera music as it reminded him of his mother. This was really comforting for him at that stage of his life.  

“Around this time, Grandad asked me and Mum to raise money for the charity. It was because he was so grateful for the care he’d received and he wanted to make sure they could be there for other families. I also think, though, that he knew we’d need something to focus on, to cope with losing him.  

“Grandad knew that I had already done lots of physical challenges. He was one of my biggest cheerleaders so he’d been at the finish line of most of the nine marathons I’ve run in the past. He knew I had also hiked Mount Kilimanjaro, completed an Iron Man, done a skydive and even an ultramarathon. So it was enough of a challenge to come up with something that would be enough of a challenge! 

“We thought about what Grandad liked and we both knew that his favourite place in the whole world was Ivinghoe Beacon. This sparked an idea for our first challenge – to walk the whole of The Ridgeway, ending at his beloved Ivinghoe Beacon. This is unlike anything that either of us have done before so it will be a real challenge.  

“We’ve decided to plan the challenge so we can end on Ivinghoe Beacon on what would have been Grandad’s birthday. We will aim to make the end of our challenge like a birthday party for him, in his favourite place.  

Making every step count

“Grandad’s birthday was 7 June so we will start on 5 June and aim to complete the whole Ridgeway in 3 days. It’s 87 miles in total so that will be just under 30 miles per day. It will be tough but we’re determined to do it. We’ll stay somewhere along the route overnight, finding B&Bs as near as possible to the path to keep the miles down.  

“For the last day we have some family and friends and relatives who plan to join us for the walk and of course the celebration at the top of Ivinghoe Beacon. So it will be a lovely chance for us all to remember Grandad and celebrate his life, while raising money for Rennie Grove Peace.  

“To prepare for the challenge Mum and I are doing lots of training. We both do our own separate training but also do long walks together to prepare for the challenge. I’m running a marathon at the start of May so I’ll be marathon training until then, and between May – June plan to do two walks each weekend of about 18-20 miles each, to prepare for the long walks of the challenge. Mum and I will do those long walks together to get ready for The Ridgeway.  

“The training and Ridgeway challenge will also help us both to prepare for our next challenge, which is the Marathon Des Sables Peru, which we plan to complete in November 2025. We’ve both signed up to the 120km option, which is the longest of the options available. We will be embarking on a self-sufficient desert journey that will see us walking and running through the desert for four days, sleeping in a bivouac in between.  

“Neither of us have done anything like this before so it will be a real experience for us both.  

“Both challenges are about raising as much money as possible for Rennie Grove Peace and I’ve set my fundraising target at £2,000. In order to get there, I’m seeking sponsorship from friends and family as well as organising things like raffles and hampers. I love photography so I also offer little mini photoshoots in return for donations to the charity and have been growing things in my allotment to sell as part of my fundraising.  

“Grandad asked us to do something for the charity and we’re enjoying the challenge of doing this together. Our main aim is to raise as much money as we can, so the charity can keep caring for people like my beloved Grandad.” 

Together, every step of the way

It has been so special spending this time with my family sharing memories and stories. Helping each other and supporting each other. We have always been a close family, but this really has been so special. It really was the hardest thing I have ever done and I’m so proud of everyone. We are all enjoying a few days of recovery. Well, other than my uncle who went on a 5 mile walk the very next day!!

We have now raised just over £1,700 which we are over the moon with.

We are going to continue to raise money throughout the year and still have Peru to do – although I can’t even think about that just yet!