Sue Ryder nurse from Bedford scales Mount Snowdon at night to help fund vital care

Siobhan Fitzgerald, a nursing assistant from Bedford, has completed a mammoth challenge scaling the highest mountain in Wales and England at night to raise vital funds for the hospice where she works.

The 44-year-old, who has been part of the team at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger for two years, said: “Having recently celebrated my two-year milestone I felt this was a great time to take on a challenge and raise some vital funds for the charity.

“It’s also a personal feat for me. I think it’s good to keep pushing yourself and I feel grateful that I am fit enough to do something like this for families needing our care.

“I enjoy walking which is what motivated me to sign up to take on the challenge in the first place and while I had trained hard to hill walks with my Dad, I was under no illusion it would be easy and wasn’t sure what to expect.”

Siobhan was one of 35 walkers to take on the ‘Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) by Night scaling 1085m by moonlight this month (4-5 May).

“It turned out to be an amazing adventure. There were some challenges - the different terrain both going up and descending made it tricky at times and you had to check your footing. We made it in good time, so much so, that we were at the bottom before sunrise.

"The group I was with was great, very supportive, many raising money for different charities. I met some wonderfully inspiring people. I am so pleased that I decided to sign up to Snowdon By Night and managed to complete the trek of a lifetime!"

Siobhan hopes that by sharing the highs of her night-time mountain trek, she can encourage others to take on this year’s challenge and help raise vital funds for the charity.

“To anyone considering taking on Snowdon By Night, I would say do it. It’s a great experience and raising money for a very worthy charity.”

Siobhan set herself a target of raising £350 to support Sue Ryder’s palliative and bereavement support services but has more than doubled this.

She added: “I would like to say a huge thank you to my brilliant family and friends for generously donating and helping me to exceed my fundraising target. Also, my appreciation goes to my incredible colleagues at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice who have been wonderful and always support me.

“It’s an absolute privilege to work at the hospice and look after patients and their families at the end of their life. I have never had a job like it. I work with the most incredible team who inspire me every day.

“I see first-hand what the care we provide means to the people we care for – who also share with us how important it is to feel loved the minute they walk through our doors. For this reason, our care must continue, and fundraising is such a huge part of ensuring we can continue to be there when it matters. I feel honoured to have been able to help.”

To donate to Siobhan’s fundraising visit: justgiving.com/page/siobhan-fitzgerald

If you feel inspired to take on Snowdon by Night for Sue Ryder visit sueryder.org/events to find out more about trips later in the year

For more information on Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice visit www.sueryder.org/stjohns