Search

  • Visit & Contact
  • The Mill
  • Online Shop
  • Log In
  • My Account
  • Log Out

Your local charity in Lancashire

Patrons: Sir Bill Beaumont, Sir Duncan Nichol, Dr Lynne Livesey, Dr St John Crean, Mark Lawrenson and Tisha Merry

Donate
  • Our Care
    • We help patients and families have quality of life, to the end of life.

    • Column
      • Back
      • Covid-19 updates
      • the work of the charity is only possible because of the support it receives from the local community.

        At the hospice
      • In the community
      • Lymphoedema clinic
        • Lymphoedema in babies, children and adolescents
    • Column
      • Carers & family
      • Befriending service
      • Bereavement and Remembrance
      • Compassionate Communities
  • Support Us
    • Our care is only possible because of the support we receive.

    • Column
      • Back
      • The work of the charity is only possible because of the support it receives from the local community.

        Fundraise
        • Organise a fundraiser
        • Give money raised
        • Join in a hospice event
        • Fundraising for businesses
      • Donate
        • Donation Form
        • Make a monthly donation
        • Make a one-off donation
        • Donate money raised
        • Donate in your will
        • Pledge Gift Aid
      • Lottery
        • Lottery terms and conditions, legal information and advice
        • Join our lottery
        • Lottery results
        • Gift cards and wedding favours
        • Update us or add a number
      • Wills
    • Column
      • Shops
        • Find your nearest shop
        • Donate to our shops
        • Online Shop
      • Volunteering
      • Raffles
      • Yellow Ribbons
  • Events
  • About Us
    • We are an independent, local charity working in Central Lancashire.

    • Column
      • Back
      • Our Purpose
      • Our Team
      • Work for us
      • Volunteer with us
    • Column Two
      • The Mill
      • Room Hire
      • Feedback
  • News
  • Resources & Training
  • Tributes
  • Donate
St Catherine's Hospice > Friends complete SAS-style test for St Catherine’s Hospice

Friends complete SAS-style test for St Catherine’s Hospice

Five friends braved freezing conditions to complete a tough mountain trek in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice.
Darren Wildman, Craig Fielding, Carl Butler, James McDuff and Paul Grundy took on the 14-mile challenge over Pen Y Fan – the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The pals from Preston covered the distance all whilst carrying 35lbs on their backs, in the style of an SAS selection process called the Fan Dance.

In total they raised an amazing £2,181.
The funds raised will help St Catherine’s Hospice continue to provide specialised palliative and end of life care to people in the local community who are living with conditions which can be treated but not cured.
Darren, a tattooist, said: “A few of us had spotted the Fan Dance and decided that if we were to do something worthwhile, we were going to do what was one of the hardest challenges to complete.
“The SAS selection route seemed an obvious choice although there were times in training where we had serious doubts.”
Darren, who holds the hospice at Lostock Hall close to his heart, added: “My son’s aunty was treated at the hospice, as was my uncle, before both losing very brave battles with cancer.
“The staff and the care both received, as well as the families being supported by St Catherine’s, left a massive mark on myself and the rest of the lads.
“All of us have experienced loved ones needing care so we all agreed that locally St Catherine’s was to be the chosen beneficiary.”

The group of friends battled extreme conditions during the trek, including temperatures which had dropped to minus 25 degrees.
Darren said: “The challenge was extremely hard both physically and mentally, visibility was down to around 20ft so the entire walk became a slog as we were unable to see any goals.
“We came across the actual RV points by following those in front of us and listening to the voices and whistles of the directing staff.
“The snow was heavy, even in the well-trodden paths it sat at 12 inches and in the drifts it was over three feet.
“The hardest part was the climb back to the Pen Y Fan – visibility was dropping, as was the light, as we reached the summit in even worse conditions for the second time.”
The fivesome completed the gruelling event in just less than seven hours and were greeted at the finish line by their partners.

Darren added: “Most of our clothes had an inch of ice on, our hats were frozen to our hair and gloves had to be helped off by our partners.
“We had all fallen numerous times collecting sore ribs and hips along the way.
“We’re all glad that we were able to support St Catherine’s because they carry out amazing work and words don’t adequately do justice to everyone who is associated with the hospice’s efforts.”
There’s still time to sponsor the group, visit www.justgiving.com/fandance1 or call into BodyMods Tattoo Studio, 451 Blackpool Rd, Ashton, Preston.

Back to News

Share with your friends!

Newsletter Signup

Sign up to our newsletter and receieve updates on our charity, successful fundraising events and much more!

Sign up

Sign up to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter and receieve updates on our charity, successful fundraising events and much more!

    Required
    Required

    Count me in!

    We'd love to keep in touch with you letting you know how your wonderful support is making a difference to St Catherine's, and informing you about other events and campaigns which might be of interest. We’re very proud of our ethical approach to fundraising and, rest assured, your information will be stored securely and we will not pass your details to any third party.

    Please let us know your preferred way(s) for us to contact you:

    Post
    Email
    Phone
    SMS Message
    For further information about how we use your data, please click here to read our privacy statement.

    Count me in!

    You’re a valued member of the St Catherine’s community and we’d love to keep in touch with all the latest news, events and campaigns from the charity. Let us know the best way to contact you by clicking below.

    Count me in!

    Visit Us

    Connect with us

    Connect with us on social media to keep up to date with the daily news from St Catherine’s and our cafe and community hub The Mill.

    Rate and review our services

    Patrons: Sir Bill Beaumont, Sir Duncan Nichol, Dr Lynne Livesey, Dr St John Crean, Mark Lawrenson and Tisha Merry

    © 2022 St Catherine’s Hospice Reg Charity No: 512186 Company Limited by Guarantee: 1602467

    • Privacy policy and use of Cookies
    • Sitemap

    St Catherine’s Hospice, St Catherine’s Park, Lostock Lane, Lostock Hall, Preston, PR5 5XU

    Designed and built by BlueWrenBlueWren

    Added to your basket

    Continue Shopping Go to Basket

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. OptionsOkay, thank you
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT