10 year old Olivia from Pontefract has climbed the 1,085-metre peak of Snowdon at sunrise in memory of her dad, raising vital funds for our Hospice that supported her family during one of the hardest times of their lives.
Olivia Farraker took on the challenge in May alongside her mum Jenni and grandmother Ruth, setting off at 1 am in the dark and making their way up to the summit together.
Olivia said: “It was hard, but we just kept going. When we got to the top, it was really powerful. I’d never seen anything like it.”
For Olivia and her family, the challenge held a much deeper meaning. In 2022, Olivia’s dad, Carl, spent three days at our Hospice at an incredibly difficult time for the family. “At the time, we didn’t really know what we needed or where to turn,” Jenni said.
The family had previously taken part in our Sunset Stroll last September with Olivia’s younger sisters, April and Bobbi, alongside friends and family.
It had such a lovely community feel, it made us want to do more.
After seeing the Snowdon Sunrise Trek fundraising opportunity, they decided to take on the bigger challenge and signed up.
Together, Jenni, Ruth and Olivia set out to raise £250, going on to raise over £500 for the Hospice, enough to help cover the care of a patient for a day, including health care, catering and housekeeping.
“It feels good,” Olivia said, “because it will help other families like ours.”
Jenni added: “We’ve got the bug now; we’ll definitely do something else.”
Fundraising events like this help us continue providing care and support to local families when they need it most.
To find out more or sign up, visit: www.pwh.org.uk/events.
