Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund

A dedicated grandmother has raised £1722 for the charity which cared for her husband before his death by walking 120 miles in just eight days.

Pat Rennie, who lives in Holton, trekked the Suffolk Coastal Path from Lowestoft to Felixstowe, and the Sandlings Walk from Ipswich to Southwold, in memory of Bud, her husband of 54 years who passed away last year.

As well as honouring Bud’s memory, Pat took on the colossal challenge to raise money for Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund (HCNCF), which provided vital support to allow him to remain at home in the last few weeks of his life. She has smashed through her original target of £500.

Pat began the trek on 19 June and covered between 11 and 21 miles each day, reaching Southwold, her final stop, on Tues 26 June. To make the achievement even greater, she took on the challenge just days after celebrating her 75th birthday.

“It was an amazing walk with old friends, new ones and family, and they all had that special ‘something’ that made it so delightful,” said Pat. “It will stay with me forever.

“Once I got going it was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed almost all of it, but on a couple of days the heat was relentless by which time I had also picked up a couple of blisters. But the legs held out, and I finished in good time.

“Bud was with me every step of the way encouraging me on, as he used to when we did any lengthy and difficult terrains, and he is still very much with me today.

“I gained so much from the trek and would like to thank everyone who walked with me, helped with transport, put me up for the night, fed me and sponsored me so generously.

“To me and my family, Bud was our rock. He was truly a lovely and remarkable man and will always be my hero. HCNCF made such a difference to us by providing the specialist equipment and additional nursing support he needed to remain in the comfort of his own home, where he was at his happiest, in the last weeks of his life. 

“I hope that the money I have raised through this walk will mean that other people can also be able to benefit from the same exceptional level of care which helped us so much.”

Pat’s sponsorship page is still accepting donations. To support her, visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/patrennie1