North Herts residents smash 'Daily Dash' fundraising challenge for Hitchin based national charity

Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centre Stagenhoe, based near Hitchin is thanking people across our area who walked, jogged, ran or rolled 5k every day in December and helped reach a fundraising total of more than £67,000. 

The December Daily Dash challenge was started in 2015 by husband-and-wife Jackie and Mark Smith, after Jackie's dad, Mike, received care from a Sue Ryder hospice. In the first year, 13 people signed up to take part, raising £5,000. 

Since then the fundraiser has continued to grow in popularity and 499 people in the UK and across the world took part in 2022, raising more than £67,000 to support the charity's vital palliative, neurological and bereavement support services. 

Dash founders Jackie and Mark said: "A huge well done and thank you to everyone who pulled on their trainers and braved the unpredictable winter weather every day in December. It was a great reminder of all that is good about the challenge – creating a daily habit to get moving, seeing friends, having fun and making memories. 

"We have loved seeing all of the pictures and videos on social media and hearing about how people have enjoyed the sense of achievement that those 31 days of running and walking brings. Thank you for all your support and we hope to see everyone back at the end of 2023!" 

Two team members from Sue Ryder Neurological Care Centre Stagenhoe, based near Hitchin, laced up their trainers and took part in the challenge.  Service Director Nicky Phillips and Payroll and Finance Administrator Ann Bradford raised just under £1,000 between them – a fantastic achievement.   

Ann, who was taking on the challenge for the first time said: "I really enjoyed the December Daily Dash and found it was beneficial for not only my mental health, but also my overall fitness during the winter. It was great to have a target to focus on and a good motivator to it get outside and move my body even if the day was a bit grey and cold!" 

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Nicky said: "I had such a good experience doing the Dash a couple of years ago it was an easy decision to make to lace up my trainers once again to take on the challenge.  Whether going for a walk by myself after work, or taking the dogs out at the weekend, it was great knowing that every step was raising money for Sue Ryder."  

Sue Ryder organises a wide range of national and regional events throughout the year to raise crucial funds and provide more care for more people. To see the full event calendar and find your next challenge, visit: sueryder.org/events