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āChallengeā is certainly the right word. 9 of us arrived at Capesthorne Hall on the morning of the 27th of April, a stunning country house just west of Macclesfield. We were excited and nervous in equal measures to see what the day would entail. We knew it would be physically gruelling, but perhaps some were a little underprepared for how though it would be.
After donning our bright yellow shirts provided by the hospice and a quick warm-up, we set off from the starting line at 10am along with around 100 other participants, all running for different causes.
We were ready to face the 30 military-grade obstacles, the first being called āHeartbreak Hill.ā This was an up-and-down hill sprint to get the blood pumping and the body warm, because we would soon be plunging into the first of many water-based activities ā and trust us ā it wasnāt exactly warm.
For the next approximately 2.5 hours, we weaved through farmland and the estate, wading through rivers, sliding from 10ft into lakes, clambering over walls twice our height and crawling inside dark tunnels under barbed-wire mesh.
It felt, at times, that we were training for a place in the Royal Marines. And despite being physically demanding, our spirits remained high. We (mostly) stuck as a team throughout the course, and only lost one person on the way due to a foot injury (shout out to Steve!).
Since 1988, East Cheshire Hospice has been caring for people living with life-limiting illness. They put their patients, their carers and families at the centre of everything they do. Their expert medical treatment is only the start of the holistic care they provide.
They prioritise each patientās needs and wishing, aiming to improve overall quality of life with practical assistance, emotional and spiritual support. At a time when family is so important, they also support carers and relatives with social and family services, counselling, complementary therapies and much more.
All of their services are provided free of charge to those who need them. However, only 21% of their funding is from the government and the remainder is donated by the communities we serve: Buxton, Congleton, High Legh, High Peak, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Poynton, Wilmslow and everywhere in between.
We had an initial target to raise at least Ā£500 ā Ā£50 for each of our participants. Weāre now thrilled to reveal that we raised an amazing Ā£1,118. We hope this goes a little way towards helping the hospice continue to provide the excellent quality of care for all they work with.