Volunteer Lyn will Stride out in thanks for Sheffield hospice

Hillsborough charity shop volunteer Lyn explains why she's a Night Strider!

In 2010, her husband, Dave, was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and underwent an operation to remove his kidney.

“We thought he would be okay after that,” said, who lives in Wadsley.

“We went off adventuring then, going trekking in the Himalayas, seeing Everest, and abundant wildlife in Costa Rica.

“Unfortunately, just over two years ago the cancer returned and it has now spread to his lungs, bones, pancreas and adrenal glands.”

Dave is now receiving care from St Luke’s, and Lyn is keen to show her support for the hospice that’s helping her family, working as a shop assistant at St Luke’s Hillsborough shop.

She said: “Working at the Hillsborough shop has helped me enormously, with the support from staff and volunteers.

“St Luke’s Clifford House has supported us both through the Spoken Histories and craft courses, such as scrap-booking so we can leave a reminder of who Dave is for our grandchildren.”

And now Lyn has decided to take on the hospice’s Night Strider challenge next month, as a special thank you for the hospice’s care.

Night Strider – which is sponsored this year by Pricecheck and Gripple - is the annual nocturnal half marathon and 10K walking challenge that aims to raise more than £120,000 each year towards patient care at Sheffield’s only hospice.

Lyn will be joined on the October 5 evening adventure by fellow Hillsborough shop volunteer Sue Grant.

Lyn added: “I want to do Night Strider is as a thank you to St Luke’s and Clifford House for the support they have given me and Dave.

“There are so many other reasons for the walk but supporting St Luke’s is a really worthy cause.”

St Luke’s, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021, was the first hospice to open outside London and remains at the forefront of palliative care.

It serves all Sheffield people over the age of 18 who are terminally ill, caring for around 1,800 patients annually, and supporting their families and carers – helping about 6,000 people in all.

Visit nightstrider.co.uk for more details on the event next month, and to sign up for Night Strider 2019.