Family raise over £70k in memory of Nick

Nick Walker was 16 when he died after an accident outside his school in 2008.

Nick’s brother, Tom, then aged 19, and father Mal set up the Nick Walker Memorial Trust a year after his death in 2009 to raise money and do good in Nick’s name.

Tom and Mal first ran a half-marathon in Nick’s memory that same year, and when 20 friends and relatives joined in, they managed to raise almost £5,000 for The Children’s Hospital Charity.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Nick’s death outside Wickersley School in Rotherham, Tom and friends took part in a non-stop 180-mile cycle trek.

Tom, along with Adam Moore, Luke Barnett, Michael Grant, Gaz Habbin, Collette Bartholomew, Gavin Levitt and Craig Barker, set off from London at midnight on Sunday March 11 and arrived in Sheffield at 6pm.

Tom said: “It proved every bit as hard as we thought, especially during the night when it was freezing and the fog was really thick. At the end there was a real sense of achievement, but work the following morning was tough.”

Previous Team Nick events, which have all taken place in the last nine years, have included football and cricket tournaments, a Land’s End to John O’Groats team cycle, a Coast to Coast run, countless marathons, entertainment nights and charity balls.

They have also supported the Make it Better appeal and most recently raised £25,000 for a patient bedroom in the hospital’s new wing.

Tom added: “That’s massive for us. The opportunity to create a lasting legacy for Nick with a patient bedroom dedicated to his memory is something we’re all really grateful for.”

Community Fundraising Manager Cheryl Davidson thanked the family for all their support and hard work over the last few years.

She said: “These guys have done so much to help us transform The Children’s Hospital for the hundreds of thousands of patients who come from all over the world for our specialist care. To raise over £70,000 is an incredible achievement and we’re really grateful for all of their support.”

For more information on the Children’s Hospital Charity, please visit www.tchc.org.uk or call 0114 271 7203.