OPINION: Team step up for stepathon challenge - Harrogate Hospital Community Charity’s Sammy Lambert

Sadly we have had to postpone our Summer Extravaganza featuring ‘It’s a Knockout’ which was scheduled to take place over the jubilee weekend on Sunday June 5. Unfortunately, Graham’s team who run ‘It’s a Knockout’ have had personal news affecting their family circumstances.

Graham’s team are exceptional and are committed to delivering a world class event for you. Therefore, we have had to make the difficult decision to postpone our event. I know that this will be disappointing for those of you who were attending as participants, spectators and stall holders.

However, we have identified an alternative date to hold our summer event in the future which will take place on June 4 2023. If you’re looking for a way to extend the jubilee celebrations why not purchase tickets for our summer raffle which will be drawn Monday June 6. There’s nothing quite like winning a year’s supply of Yorkshire Tea, an afternoon tea and Prosecco for four at Cedar Court or a Pickled Sprout meal voucher to brighten up the Monday after Bank Holiday. Win these prizes plus much more for just £1 per ticket!

A huge thank you to all the amazing local businesses who donated these fantastic prizes. To purchase your tickets and to be in with a chance to win please visit: https://hhcc.co.uk/shop/hhcc-summer-raffle/ The money raised from this incredible raffle will help to enhance the environment and the experience for patients in our hospitals and wider community.

Once again, the HHCC and Volunteer Team are celebrating Volunteer Week from Wednesday June 1 to Tuesday June 7. This event is an opportunity for us to celebrate and promote the profile of volunteering at #teamHDFT with a range of activities.

This year we will have: a series of 30 second ‘snapshot’ videos for which you can find on our social media platforms showcasing examples of our volunteers work and impact - one will be released every day throughout the week. On the last day of the week, Tuesday June 7, there will be a return of ‘Stepathon’. Readers from last year will remember this event, and this year it is back! Becca, Dan, Georgia, Jess, Robyn, Simon, Yvonne and myself are inviting our wonderful volunteers and people who would like to support this event as a participant, to join us in a 12 hour stepathon to raise vital funds for HHCC. The HHCC and Volunteer Team and I will walk with volunteers and participants around the perimeter of the Harrogate District Hospital as many times as we can between 8am-8pm. This amazing challenge will be supported by Harrogate Hospital Radio (HHR) who will also undertake a 12 hour radiothon. For more information and to sign up, please see https://hhcc.co.uk/hdft-volunteers-are-stepping-up-and-out-for-harrogate-hospital-community-charity-hhcc-once-again/ This challenge is for everyone, the pace is set by you and you can do as many laps as you like, whether it’s one or 100 laps, we will be with you the whole way. The route is also wheelchair and walking aid friendly. For those of you who are unable to join us on the day why not sponsor our walkers: https://hhcc.co.uk/hhcc-post/volunteers-week-2022-can-you-help/

Myself, Dan and Yvonne are aiming to cover 40 miles individually throughout the day to smash last year’s individual achievement of 36 miles.

It’s time to get muddy! We have our last few remaining free places for Total Warrior 2022 (available with a fundraising target of £250). Set yourself a challenge and sign up today to become a #HHCCwarrior. Hurry as we only have a few remaining places now available - why not join in with friends, family or colleagues. If you are interested in securing a place, please contact the HHCC and Volunteer Team by emailing: [email protected]