Midnight Walking for Mum – Anthea’s story

Midnight Walking to give back to Dorothy House

Dorothy House was excited to return to Bath Pavilion this year for the 2024 Midnight Walk! One of our most popular fundraising events. This year’s theme was ‘Bath’s Biggest Pyjama Party,’ with participants raising funds to support our Hospice at Home service.

Read all about the fantastic result of this year's event here - our fabulous walkers raised over £60,000!

Everyone who takes part in our annual Midnight Walk has their own reason for why they’re walking. Whether it’s walking in memory of a loved one, to raise funds for a local cause, or because they have a connection to the Hospice, everyone has their own story, which is what makes the event so special. For Anthea, it’s a way of giving back to Dorothy House after we cared for her mum, Debs.

Walking for Debs

Debs was diagnosed with a rare form of pelvic cancer in 2019 and went through many hurdles throughout her illness. Last year, as her pain became greater and she needed more support, she reached out to Dorothy House, where she was put in touch with Becky from our Hospice at Home team. Alongside helping Debs to find ways to manage her pain and feel more comfortable, Becky was also offered someone for her to talk to outside the family, where she could express her feelings and worries about her illness.

“Becky from the Hospice at Home team was so special to my mum and helped her immensely throughout her journey.”

A special hospice wedding

In January of this year, Debs’ illness progressed further, and she was admitted to our Inpatient Unit at Winsley House. At the same time, Anthea was just weeks away from her wedding.

It was our Spiritual Lead, Dave, who organised a blessing at the Hospice for Anthea and her now husband, so that Debs was able to share their special day with them.

“Dave organised a beautiful blessing for myself and my husband, so we could have our special ceremony with my wonderful mum. I could not be more grateful for that experience and the love we felt from the whole team that day.”

Anthea and her husband married on 17 February 2024, with Anthea paying her mum a special visit that morning, wearing her wedding dress. Debs died later that day, shortly after their ceremony.

 

Fundraising in memory

Following her mum’s death, Anthea and the rest of the family raised an incredible £2,100 in Debs’ memory. This June, Anthea took part in the Midnight Walk for her Mum as a way of saying thank you for the care we gave to Debs and her family.

“As a family, we can never thank the team enough for how much they cared for our mum and us, the support they gave us all, and for making her so comfortable in the last few weeks of life. We will always do everything we can to support and raise money for the Hospice team, and that starts with the Midnight Walk! We can’t wait to get stuck in and raise some money for an incredible cause.”