22 Jul 2025 Community

Climb, Care, Conquer: The Kirkwood Nurses Go Above and Beyond for The Kirkwood

The dedicated nurses from The Kirkwood’s Inpatient Unit have gone the extra mile quite literally to support the charity they hold close to their hearts. Taking on the formidable Derbyshire Three Peaks challenge, the team not only conquered the hills, but also smashed their fundraising target, raising over £7,000 for the hospice that means so much to them.

The group, made up of Tim Wondergem, Gillian Whitaker, Lesley Mallinson, Laura Lumb, Amy Coverdale, Debbie Kora and led in spirit by the ever-supportive Fran Zak, began training back in January. "We started off training in January, having had six training walks in the lead up to the big day and various team members doing their own training too, which massively helped us all a lot,” said Senior Staff Nurse, Laura Hirst.

All their hard work paid off. Not only did the team complete the challenge, a feat made even more impressive considering Laura was 20 weeks pregnant, they also surpassed their fundraising goal just before reaching the third and final peak. “We managed to raise way more than our target, and hit our target just before our third peak on the day, which definitely gave us all that boost to carry on!”

The challenge itself was not without its difficulties. Temperatures soared to 30 degrees in Huddersfield on the day of the walk, causing concern among friends and family. Luckily, the Peak District offered some respite. “It was only around 23–24 degrees with a constant breeze, which definitely helped!” Laura shared.

The camaraderie among the team was just as vital as the cooler weather. “We’re a great team on the IPU anyway,” said Laura. “We have to deal with difficult and challenging situations daily at work so the bond is definitely already there. But the training walks and the challenge itself allowed us to spend time bonding over other things, outside of work. We kept each other going, laughing and singing along the way!”

And what a result. The team’s efforts attracted generous donations from friends, family, and even grateful patients and their loved ones. “Unbelievably proud!” Laura said, beaming. “We all go above and beyond for our patients and their families daily, so to be able to raise over £7,000 for a cause that we all care so much about is an amazing achievement for us all!”

That money is going straight back into supporting patients and their families, something Laura and the team feel incredibly passionate about. “It’s no secret that funding has had to be cut in all areas of The Kirkwood, which is devastating for our hospice. The team have had some great ideas of how the money can be spent to benefit patients and relatives on the unit. Despite it being a hospice, many of our patients and families love their time with us, so anything we can do to ensure their stay is as comfortable as possible, we will do it!”

The Kirkwood team extends special thanks to everyone who made this challenge possible: to Alison Heavey and Judith Ambler for their refreshing midday pit stop delivery “ice cold water, fruit, fizzy pop and ice lollies” and to every single person who donated or shared their story. A heartfelt mention also goes to Fran Zak, who heartbreakingly had to drop out just two days before the challenge due to a broken foot. “Fran has raised a lot of money towards it and was devastated when she injured herself! Next time Fran.”

In the words of Laura Hirst, the challenge was not just a physical one, but a personal and emotional triumph for a team that gives their all every single day not just on the hills, but on the unit.

Climb. Care. Conquer. The Kirkwood nurses truly live those words.