Dad and daughter’s half marathon challenge to raise cash for older persons’ cause

 A dad and daughter will join forces to dash 13 miles for a Sheffield charity on the front line of helping isolated, older people in the city.

Pete Skipworth, aged 50, and Lucy Skipworth, aged 24, hope to raise four figures for Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care (SCCCC) when they take on the Sheffield Half Marathon together in September.

Pete, an SCCCC trustee for four years and whose family has already raised around £5,000 for the cause, says seeing the plight of his own older relatives is what prompted him to lend his support.

Pete said: “I knew the charity’s Chief Executive from a fund-raising committee we were on for another good cause. Looking after older relatives and seeing first-hand the difficulties people in their later years experience, especially if they are on their own, is what motivated me to help in this way.

“I think that Sheffield people should be helping the older and more vulnerable members of their community – after all, we’re standing on the shoulders of all those who came before us. Older people can become a forgotten part of our community, but they may well be the people that need the most help.

“I decided to sign-up to the half marathon because my daughter wanted to do it. Although she regularly takes part in Park Runs, she’s keen to do other events and has never run a half marathon before. I last completed the Sheffield Half Marathon about three years ago.

“I found the long climb up to Ringinglow a bit of a slog and I thought I’d never do it again. However, the memory of the pain has dulled with time and I agreed to do it when Lucy suggested it.

“I’ve run a 10k for SCCCC before and this will be my second half-marathon for the charity. Lucy has done an abseil down the side of Sheffield Hallam University and one of our other daughters, Alice, has done an abseil and a skydive for the charity. Between us we’ve probably raised £5k. We’re hoping to raise a further £1,000 this time around.”

SCCCC has been supporting isolated, older people across Sheffield for more than 50 years. It thrives on its strong community links and works alongside the Sheffield City Council, local NHS bodies and all church denominations to achieve its mission of improving the wellbeing of older people in the city.

The charity’s flagship ‘Good Neighbour Scheme’ offers an anti-loneliness service to over 65s who are referred by health agencies, care teams or relatives. Social visits, welfare checks, telephone support and one off emergency shopping trips all form part of the help offered under the scheme.

Other initiatives include support for people after they’ve been discharged from hospital and help for people who’ve been taken to hospital but have no family around to support them.

To contribute to Pete and Lucy’s challenge, visit their fundraising page here https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=LucySkipworth&pageUrl=1