Oundle woman hikes through 48 counties in memory of friend who died at Peterborough's Thorpe Hall Hospice

A woman who took on an epic feat of hiking in 48 counties over six months in memory of her best friend has raised thousands of pounds to help support the hospice that helped her.

Amanda Garratt, 53, from Oundle hiked in every county in England starting in the East Riding of Yorkshire on 28th April and finishing in the Isle of Wight on 25th October, raising £6303 for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in memory of her best friend, Kath Leakey, who the charity helped care for in 2019.

As well as the county hikes, Amanda, often accompanied by her trusty Border Terrier, Meg, and on occasions friends and family too completed local walks in Northants and Berkshire. The Sue Ryder supporter even took the challenge global by completing a further 23 miles ‘overseas’ in Scotland, Wales and Tanzania - clocking up a total of over 1,052 miles.

She said: “I’m proud that I completed the challenge, which was plucked out of thin air without any comprehension of what was involved and of being able to raise money for Sue Ryder while doing something I’ve absolutely loved!”

After losing Kath, who was 49 years old when she died, living through a pandemic and spending three years or so experiencing the impacts of perimenopause Amanda re-evaluated what was important in life and decided to take a career break in which she set herself the county walks challenge.

The money Amanda has raised will go towards helping Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, which Amanda described at the start of her feat as, “an amazing place with around the clock care provided by amazing people” to provide even more expert and compassionate care.

Amanda said: “I have so many memories of adventures in beautiful parts of the country, often with Kath in my thoughts. The experience has had a really positive impact on my mental health and on some of my peri-menopausal symptoms. I couldn’t pick a favourite county or hike, however every hilly and coastal walk was a highlight, as was sharing some of the adventures with friends and family,”

“I want to thank everyone who joined me for a walk, helped out with accommodation, suggestions of where to walk, or simply general encouragement. Special thanks to everyone who generously provided sponsorship too. It means so much to be able to raise this money in Kath’s memory and give a little back to Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice. Also, massive thanks to my partner Ben for being so supportive and encouraging me throughout,” she added.

In support of Amanda’s fundraising, Kath’s fellow best friend and retired police officer, Sammie Kelley, completed a challenge of her own. Sammie ran 300 miles in the same six-month period including completing the Great Eastern Run in Peterborough a week after recovering from Covid. “Sammie is just brilliant, despite breaking her leg and undergoing reconstructive surgery in 2021, as well as the covid setback since, she has gone on to complete her 300 mile runs in memory of our dear friend,” Amanda added.

There’s still time to donate to Amanda’s amazing fundraising feat at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/amanda-garratt12