Two St Ann’s supporters recently went ‘down under’ to take on a vertigo-inducing challenge to raise funds for the hospice.
Ally Elliot and Jeff Bor climbed the over 1,300 steps of Sydney Harbour Bridge. The duo have already raised over £2,000 ahead of their climb, you can donate via their Just Giving page, here.
The climb took between three and three and a half hours, with the summit being 134m above sea level.
“The idea to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge began as a fabulous adventure and a desire to challenge ourselves now that we’re getting on a bit,” Ally said.
“We decided to book the climb almost 12 months ago when we started to plan our holiday and then when I actually booked it I realised it could be much more than just a personal achievement for Jeff and I. Why not use it as an opportunity to give back to a cause that means so much to me personally,” Ally said.
Ally’s father was cared for at St Ann’s Hospice during the final six weeks of his life almost 20 years ago. They have been supporters of St Ann’s ever since.
“Following his death, my twin sister, Sue and I joined a local fundraising team to help raise money for numerous projects at the hospice such as refurbishing the pharmacy and the family rooms and purchasing an ambulance. After several years our team unfortunately disbanded,” Ally said.
Click through the Flickr feed below to see some astonishing photos taken during and after Ally and Jeff’s Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.
“When I started as a volunteer in the fundraising office at the hospice in Cheadle just a few weeks ago it really inspired me to raise funds once again. It started to give our bridge climb a much deeper purpose than a personal challenge for us. Every step we take on the bridge will be a tribute to the incredible work being done in support of the new hospice,” she added.
The money raised by Ally and Jeff will go towards the Build it Together appeal for the construction of the new St Ann’s Hospice building in Cheadle. So far almost £1.5m has been raised by the community as the hospice nears its £2m goal.
