Sixty-three big hearted people from Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and the surrounding area walked, jogged or ran 5km every day in December, boosting their mental health and giving a much needed £25,000 cash boost to a local Sue Ryder hospice.
The December Daily Dash challenge was started in 2015 by husband and wife Jackie and Mark Smith, after Jackie’s dad, Mike, received care from a Sue Ryder hospice. That first year 13 people signed up to take part, raising £5,000.
Since then the festive fundraiser has snowballed with 1,232 people taking part from right across the UK and as far afield as Denmark, the USA, Canada and Mexico. They raised £310,000 in 2020 for the national palliative, neurological and bereavement support charity, Sue Ryder.
Dash creators Jackie and Mark said: “Well done and a huge thanks for the amazing fundraising and spirit that all the December Daily Dashers have brought to the dash in 2020!
“Although we couldn’t have the crowds this year, the dash did what it did best – showing that anyone can take part anywhere and anyhow, and whilst we might be all apart, it still has felt like we are still somehow all together.
“We were especially grateful for the dash in this strangest of years, and have loved all of the pictures, videos and stories of everyone enjoying it too. We hope to see everyone back next year when we will be celebrating our 200th dash.”
Locally, people from Bedfordshire and the surrounding area laced up their trainers to take up the December Daily Dash ‘reins’ in support of their local Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger near Bedford.
This was the fourth year Lindsay O’Kane, from Milton Keynes, had taken part in the challenge.
Lindsay, who raised £697 in the 2020 December Daily Dash, said: “I originally signed up for the dash in memory of both my mum and my grandma. My grandma had volunteered for Sue Ryder for many, many years. She then spent her final days at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger, where she was cared for by the amazing Sue Ryder staff. Running or walking 5km each day gives you time to yourself and time to reflect.”
Rebecca Eaton and Kimberley Salour, two kind-hearted colleagues from Letchworth company Willmott Dixon, also took on the dash and raised £681. The pair are part of the People Team at the company, which has been supporting the hospice as their charity of the year.
Rebecca said: “As a teenager I had a grandma with Alzheimer’s and a grandad who needed to be looked after in a care home. We spent many weekends, birthdays and Christmas holidays visiting them. We saw how nurses and carers, such as the ones at Sue Ryder, give up their own time at Christmas with their loved ones to look after mine and others. They are honestly amazing people and I thought that if they are willing to give up their time and work as hard as they do over Christmas, when everyone else is at home eating mince pies, then I can give up an hour a day to go for a walk and raise some money for them.”
Kimberley added: “Last year was quite challenging in terms of being distanced from our family, friends and colleagues. As much as virtual quizzes and FaceTime have been great to keep in touch, it will never quite replace the fun you can have in person. Fundraising for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice gave our Group People Team at Willmott Dixon a great opportunity to reconnect after many months of working remotely. We did a virtual walk earlier in 2020, which was a great way of enjoying the outdoors, respecting everyone’s level of comfort and raising money for a great cause. It seemed silly to stop there and when I heard about the December Daily Dash, I had to get involved.”
Hayley Webb, Community Fundraising Manager at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to share a huge thank you to each and every person who completed the December Daily Dash in support of our hospice. For every step you took and pound you’ve raised you’re helped us continue to be there when it matters for local families.”
The funds raised by the December Daily Dash could not come at a more crucial time for Sue Ryder, after it was forced to launch a second urgent fundraising campaign at the end of 2020 in response to the devastating impact the Coronavirus pandemic is having on its funding.
With a further national lockdown announced , the charity’s struggle continues with fundraising events remaining cancelled and Sue Ryder’s charity shops having to close their doors once again.
For more information and to donate to the urgent fundraising campaign visit www.sueryder.org/winterappeal20.
For more information on the December Daily Dash visit decemberdailydash.com.
