In 2020, no matter who you are, we all faced our own challenges. In times like those that we all experienced last year, it is understandable that people would want to focus energy on themselves, their families, and their friends.
But despite the demands placed on each of us by the pandemic, we are fortunate to be part of a community that still cared about the welfare of others. In 2020 support for our charity never ceased, and we have never been more proud of our community.
Our supporters went above and beyond in 2020. Your fundraising ensured that the Pepper Foundation could continue funding the children’s Hospice at Home nursing service, provided by Rennie Grove Hospice Care. The generosity shown by our supporters gives us the means to continue being there for families as the country moves slowly towards normality.
We want to honour every single one of you. Here are just a few of the stories from our 2020.
Providing PPE
Edward Chudleigh, the brother of our Pepper Trustee Anthony Chudleigh, was producing PPE face shields for the NHS. He very generously donated PPE to Rennie Grove Hospice, ensuring that the nurses we fund were always able to safely carry out their face-to-face work.
Speaking of PPE, Pepper supporter and long-time cast member of the Pepper Show, Kathy Gifford, got crafty and raised a whopping £960 selling masks and hand sanitiser pouches.
2.6 Challenge
When April’s London Marathon was cancelled, many Pepper supporters participated in the ‘2.6 Challenge’ on Sunday 26th April. There were some outstanding contributions, such as the Harris Family. Between the Harris family, they completed a full Marathon in their garden – 26.2 miles (completed by doing 673 laps). They ran it in an amazing three hours and 54 minutes, and raised £1,016!
The youngest 2.6 Challenge fundraiser, Nellie, raised £230 by completing 26 spellings – a real challenge for a 4-year-old. Great work, Nellie!
Keep on running!
Although the London Marathon was cancelled, some people were still planning to run. Ian Reeder, who can usually be found behind the drum kit during the Pepper Show, raised £1,225 by running the Dorney Lake Marathon AND and the Stort 30 Ultra Marathon (both in October!). Throughout the training and races, Ian ran 1121 miles for a total of 11,524.48 minutes.
Fabulous fundraisers, Zoe and Jo, put on their running shoes and ran 1 mile every day in July to raise money for the Pepper Foundation. That’s more than a whole marathon!
Tribute to a lost friend of Pepper
In 2020, sadly the Pepper Foundation lost friend, Pepper Show crew, and long-time supporter, Matthew Minors. So in May, Performer Emily Scott ran ‘Dance for Matthew’ – a dancing class fundraiser that raised £800 for our charity.
The 59 Challenge
October saw the launch of the 59 Challenge, representing the 59 child patients we were caring for in 2020. The 59 Challenge raised a fantastic £1,960 for the Pepper Foundation. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Thank You
There are many more stories to be told, but we would like to thank every single person who supported The Pepper Foundation in 2020. We don’t know what 2021 holds, but we have hope for the year. And with a community like the one that we are a part of we have the confidence to face whatever 2021 throws at us.
The care services we help to fund are provided are at no cost to patients or their families. The Pepper Foundation relies on donations to help Rennie Grove provide this vital supportive care. You can donate to the Pepper Foundation here.
