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

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

        Care at the hospice
      • Caring for people at home
      • Medical Outpatient Clinics
      • Lymphoedema clinic
        • Lymphoedema in babies, children and adolescents
      • Referrals and discharge
    • Column
      • Support for carers & family
      • Bereavement and Remembrance
      • Befriending service
      • Compassionate Communities
      • Covid-19 updates
  • 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 for us
        • Organise a fundraiser
        • Give money raised
        • Join in a hospice event
        • Global Adventure Challenges
      • Donate
        • Donation Form
        • Make a monthly donation
        • Make a one-off donation
        • Donate money raised
        • Pledge Gift Aid
      • Play the lottery
        • Lottery terms and conditions, legal information and advice
        • Join our lottery
        • Lottery results
        • Gift cards and wedding favours
        • Update your details
      • Wills
      • 1985 Business Club
    • Column
      • Charity shops
        • Find your nearest shop
        • Donate to our shops
        • Online Shop
      • Volunteering
      • Enter our raffle
      • Yellow Ribbons
  • Events
  • About us
    • We are an independent, local charity working in Central Lancashire.

    • Column
      • Back
      • Our purpose
      • Our team
      • Job vacancies
      • Knowledge Exchange
      • Resources for all
    • Column Two
      • The Mill cafe
      • Room hire
      • Give feedback
      • Lancashire and South Cumbria Hospices Together
      • Our plans
  • News
  • Remembrance Book
  • Donate
St Catherine's Hospice > Fundraising News > Nursing assistant recreates Grand Canyon challenge in lockdown for St Catherine’s

Nursing assistant recreates Grand Canyon challenge in lockdown for St Catherine’s

A nursing assistant from St Catherine’s Hospice is re-living a mammoth Grand Canyon challenge during lockdown to raise funds for the charity.

Julie Ball rafted the Grand Canyon 28 years ago, and is now re-enacting the experience from home on a rowing machine.

The 45-year-old, from Chorley, said: “Like many others, I’m having to isolate due to my own Lymphoma and asthma keeping me away from the job that I love. And like many other charities, St Catherine’s is taking a massive financial hit due to the Coronavirus, so I wanted to do something to help the hospice keep providing the love and care the charity is so well known for.

“I came across virtual challenges to row the length of the English Channel (21 miles) or walk the Inca Trail on a treadmill (26 miles).Then I saw the Grand Canyon option, which happens to be my favourite place on the planet, which is 280 miles!”

Julie, a mum-of-two who also runs a not-for-profit project making free mastectomy pillows, explained: “I had the most amazing experience of my life when I rafted the Grand Canyon for eight days, sleeping on the floor of the canyon, and I even got to steer the raft through some grade five rapids, so it seemed like the perfect challenge for me to take on during lockdown.

“This time I will be exploring it with my imagination and memories, doing my best to raise some much-needed funds for the wonderful place that is St Catherine’s Hospice.”

Emma Jacovelli, head of community engagement at the Lostock Hall hospice, said: “I love Julie’s fantastic idea to recreate a special memory and relive the experience of a lifetime under the current circumstances, doing something positive for herself and the hospice.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity of our wonderful supporters and communities since the Coronavirus outbreak meant we had to cancel our fundraising events and close our charity shops and The Mill café.

“Supportershave been coming up with so many inspiring and creative ways to generate funds for us, from cycling round Leyland on a unicycle, completing a Lego marathon, and hula hopping for an hour a day, to hosting virtual quizzes, yoga classes and concerts on behalf of St Catherine’s!

“People are really pulling together during these difficult days and we’re so grateful to everyone for being here for us and helping us to continue offering our specialist palliative and end-of-life care to local people at the hospice and in patients’ own homes.”

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

    © 2025 St Catherine’s Hospice Reg Charity No: 512186 Company Limited by Guarantee: 1602467

    • Privacy policy and use of Cookies
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Sitemap
    • Chair’s pension statement

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

    Designed and built by BlueWrenBlueWren

    Boost your donation by 25%

    With Gift Aid, your donation of £ would be worth £ at no extra cost to you.

    Added to your basket

    Continue Shopping Go to Basket