Derbyshire army cadets' challenge raises £6,800 for Ashgate and Treetops hospices

Army cadets in Derbyshire have stepped up hospice funds by nearly £7,000.
By Gay Bolton
Published 23rd Jul 2020, 16:02 GMT
Updated 23rd Jul 2020, 16:03 GMT
Cadets Isla Bulloch, Kelsie Oakes, Daniel Price, Caitlin and William Boumphrey and Jeanie Wilson on the steps challenge.Cadets Isla Bulloch, Kelsie Oakes, Daniel Price, Caitlin and William Boumphrey and Jeanie Wilson on the steps challenge.
Cadets Isla Bulloch, Kelsie Oakes, Daniel Price, Caitlin and William Boumphrey and Jeanie Wilson on the steps challenge.

Participants across the county set out on a socially distanced challenge and totted up 3.7 million steps between them. This equalled the distance (in a straight line) from Derby in England to Derbino in Russia!

Their sponsored event, which brought in a total of £6,800, will help the care of patients at Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield and Treetops Hospice in Risley.

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During the challenge a detachment from Long Eaton covered the equivalent distance of a motorway journey from London to Glasgow (808,378 steps).

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Adult instructor Lt Paul Thomas cycled 172km which is the same as riding from the Derbyshire Army Cadet Force headquarters in Derby to Heathrow Airport in a straight line.

And Wirksworth detachment raised £1,924, with Cadet G Law individually achieving £899.

Derbyshire Army Cadet Force commandant Col Chris Doyle said: “Our girls and boys, all aged between 12 and 18, collectively walking the equivalent of nearly 1,766 miles during lockdown, that is some going.

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"On the day of the event cadets should have paraded at Crich Memorial remembering people from our community who died serving our country. Not to be beaten by Covid-19, Derbyshire cadets embarked on the Step Challenge to support their community during today’s emergency.

"Derbyshire’s hospices are the beneficiaries of all the money raised by the cadets, they are the unsung heroes in our community providing the vital care and comfort at the time of our lives we need it most. I would like to congratulate our cadets who planned and conducted this challenge by themselves.”

Cheryl Morris, deputy community relationships manager at Treetops Hospice Care, added “Huge congratulations and thanks go to everyone who’s taken part in the Crich Memorial Pilgrimage Challenge. It’s a fantastic achievement."The money you’ve raised for Treetops Hospice Care is wonderful and will help us continue to care for patients with life-limiting conditions across Derbyshire.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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