Gentle stroll leds to marathon hike for Hospice supporters

Gentle stroll leds to marathon hike for Hospice supporters

What started out as a gentle keep-fit stroll with a friend has turned into a marathon hike raising thousands for two St Michael’s Hospices.

David Smith runs a dance studio in Basingstoke and has links to Hereford through his parents who set-up and run the Allseasons Dance Studio in Hereford.

Each year, David raises money for us and St Michael’s Hospice in Basingstoke but the onset of Covid meant his usual fundraising opportunities through his dance school dried up.

To keep fit during lockdown, David and close friend Mike Webb took to walking and began strolling just a few miles a day, upping the distance by a mile each week.

‘We started having socially distanced walks, just to keep fit really,’ said David. 

‘It was four or five miles at first, adding a mile each week. Mike’s son joked that we would soon be doing a marathon. Then, when we got to 11 miles, we thought ‘we could do this’, so we decided to raise money for the Hospices.

‘We were walking most days and we had friends and some of my pupils from the dance studio who lent their support.

‘It’s just been great to raise money for such good causes.’

The current total stands at just over £4,000, which will be split equally between the two St Michael’s.

You can still donate by clicking here https://bit.ly/3cbtfe7

Pictured is David Smith (foreground) and friend Mike Webb.