THE Woking and Sam Beare Hospice “Palliative Pacers” have raised more than £15,000 for the charity by taking on the Thames Path Challenge and walking up to 100 kilometres non-stop over 32 hours.

The 12 Pacers – made up of the director of clinical services, inpatient unit manager, therapists, nurses, admin staff and a trustee – began at Putney Bridge and ended at Henley.

They built up their stamina on practice walks across Surrey over the past few months, five of them even taking on Mount Snowdon in August.

Colleagues made videos of support, sent messages to give them a boost along the way, some even surprising them en route with encouragement and refreshments.

“The camaraderie and support from this amazing team of walkers was beyond anything I could have imagined,” said Tammy Stracey, director of clinical services. “We lifted each other up and made every step count.”

The team would like to thank Katie from Enterprise Mobility for coming to the hospice at 5am to transport them to the start in their minibus, and send a big “thank you” to Debbie and Kety from the hospice ward for driving between pitstops to bring the team supplies and keep spirits high.

“I want to thank the incredible Palliative Pacers,” said Tammy. “Those who completed the 28km and those who pushed on to the full 100km. You are the most beautiful people inside and out, and it is truly inspiring to work with such selfless individuals who go above and beyond for our patients and each other. Together, we’ve accomplished something extraordinary.”

Congratulations go to Janna Brindle, Katie Doyle, Kerry Jarred, Laura Harper, Nic Morgan-Savage and Tammy Stracey for completing 100km, and to Diana Chan, Emma Kallmeier, Karren Lloyd, Marie Howse, Sabrina Linstromberg, and Sam Wakefield for completing 28km.

To donate, visit justgiving.org and search for “WSBH Palliative Pacers”.