Family members separated by 6,000 miles didn’t let the vast distance stop them from doing a special charity walk in honour of their much-loved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Half of the Meadows family celebrated the life of Tony Meadows with a Walk to Remember at the Millennium Country Park in Marston Moretaine, and the other half trekked along a beautiful beach in Vietnam.
The family, who have called themselves the Meadow Marchers, have raised an impressive £2,382 for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice. The Moggerhanger hospice cared for Tony in September 2020.
Tony’s daughter, Julie Probert, and other members of the family did a 5k walk through the Bedfordshire country park, carrying photos of Tony as a special tribute – the walk took place following government guidance at the time.
Despite being stranded across the globe in Vietnam, Tony’s grand-daughter Charlotte Probert and her partner Greg Carlisle didn’t let that stop them from joining the rest of their family.
Charlotte and Greg did the walk from My Khe beach in Vietnam, also carrying photos of Tony.
The pair have been stuck in the Southeast Asian country since February 2020. They were emigrating to New Zealand and stopped off in Vietnam to visit a friend, when the Coronavirus pandemic struck. Coronavirus restrictions have prevented them from travelling on to their final destination.
“Our family, both in England and Vietnam, wanted to give something back and show our gratitude to those who cared for our husband, dad, grandad and great-grandad at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, when he needed it the most,” said Julie.
Helen Kingston, Community Fundraising Officer at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, said: “A huge thank you to all of the Meadows Marchers for making such strides to support our hospice. We are so impressed with your dedication and inspiring cross-continental efforts to complete the Walk to Remember in honour of Tony. The funds you have raised will help us to continue offering our compassionate palliative care and bereavement support, and be there when it matters for other local families.”
The support comes at a crucial time for Sue Ryder, the national healthcare charity which runs St John’s Hospice. In November the charity was forced to launch its second urgent fundraising campaign of 2020 in response to the impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on its funding.
To find out more and to donate visit www.sueryder.org/winterappeal20
You can support the Meadows Marchers through JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/Julie-Probert4
Sign up for your daily digest of local Bedfordshire news here:
https://www.bedsbulletin.com/bulletin/sign-up/
