Sheffield United fans swap Wembley for walking boots in tribute to beloved mum-in-law

Tom and Matt Shiels, brothers from Sheffield, are lacing up their boots and setting off on a six-day, 120-mile trek from St Luke’s Hospice in Sheffield to Chapel Stile in the Lake District.

The walk is a tribute to Judith, Tom’s mother-in-law, who passed away in summer 2023 after a sudden and aggressive brain tumour diagnosis.

Their fundraising challenge, which kicks off on Tuesday, May 20 has a deeply personal meaning.

Tom said: “Judith was incredibly outdoorsy, she loved walking – whether that was in the Peaks, around Sheffield, or on our family trips to the Lake District. It just felt right to honour her this way.”

Judith wasn’t born in Sheffield, but she moved to the city young and spent most of her life there. A familiar face on walking routes around the city and beyond, she was known for her humour, navigation skills and love for the hills.

The walk will raise money for St Luke’s Hospice, where Judith spent her final days, and Brain Tumour Research.

“Judith was only in St Luke’s for a few days, but the care was incredible. We just want to give something back,” said Tom.

Fittingly, the walk starts from St Luke’s and ends in Chapel Stile, a village in the Langdale Valley where the family often stayed with Judith.

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The route will average 20 miles per day and passes through areas of significance in Judith’s life, including the areas of the Lake District she enjoyed visiting with her family.

One especially meaningful moment will come when the brothers walk past Greenhead College in Huddersfield – the school Judith attended when it was an all-girls grammar.

“Knowing we’ll pass the building where she spent her school days, and all the other places she loved just makes the walk feel even more special,” Tom said.

On the JustGiving page set up for donations, Judith's daughter, Emily, posted: “We had the (not so!) bright idea of Tom walking from Sheffield to Chapel Stile as being something near an appropriate tribute.

“Hopefully Judith would have found this mildly impressive, and there’s little doubt she’d have found the idea of Tom trying to do this on his own hilarious - thankfully, Tom’s brother Matthew has agreed to join the walk too.”

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The most gruelling day of the walk falls on Saturday, May 24 , when Sheffield United play in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. That same day is also the longest stretch of the walk - a 26-mile hike from Clapham to Kendal.

“We’d have been at Wembley if it wasn’t for this,” laughed Tom.

“We booked the walk about 18 months ago. But when United got to the final, we didn't discuss the option of abandoning the walk, it just had to be done.”

The plan is to set off around 5.30am and hopefully finish the day’s route in time for kick-off.

“We’ll find a pub, get a pint, and either celebrate or drown our sorrows,” Tom joked. “We’ve been to all the other Wembley finals and they've all gone wrong, so we're hoping us staying away might actually do United a favour this time!”

Despite juggling training around two young kids, Tom has managed to squeeze in a few practice walks – including the 16-mile Sheffield Round Walk –while Matt, whose children are older, has been putting in longer sessions.

“I feel slightly undercooked, but we’ll train on the job,” Tom said.

Family support has been strong, with both of their families planning to meet them at the finish line for a well-earned knees-up in Judith’s honour.

The day after the final, is the last day of the walk: “ We are finishing a pub in a village called Chapel Stile and that's where we always used to stay there with Judith in that village, so that's quite a nice little memory,” Tom added.

The brothers are aiming to raise £2,000 and are close to their target. “We’re at about £1,800 now – we’re hoping this last push will get us there,” Tom said.

You can donate to their fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/sheffield-to-chapel-stile-in-memory-of-judith

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