An East Sussex man has raised more than £1,500 for charity in memory of his late mother.
Chris Hill, 39, a digital designer from East Hoathly, took part in the South Coast Ultra Challenge 2025 on September 6, to raise funds for Eastbourne-based charity, St Wilfrid's Hospice.
Mr Hill swapped his office for the countryside of Sussex, where he completed a 57km walk in 14 hours and 23 minutes, after five months of training.
His efforts raised £1,760 for the charity.
Mr Hill said: "As I was walking to honour the memory of my late mother and raise money for the charity that looked after her, I wanted to take something of hers along the journey with me, so I chose her beloved Paddington Bear."
His mother, Lynn, passed away in October 2024 after a year-long battle with cancer.
In her final weeks, St Wilfrid's Hospice provided crucial care.
St Wilfrid’s Hospice supports people with life-limiting illnesses and their families at the end of their lives.
Read more:
- Donation adds festive sparkle to Sussex Cancer Fund’s charity tree
- Walkers take part in marathon hike for cancer charity
- Sussex charity helps release eight endangered animals back into the wild
Mr Hill said: "I felt a mixture of relief and pride at the realisation of what I had just achieved.
"The longest distance I had previously walked was 28km. I was in unknown territory as to how my body would react."
He added: "I had been suffering from blisters with about 20km to go and my legs were staring to ache. After getting the blisters treated at a rest stop I pushed on to the end but it was a real struggle, but I was determined to finish no matter what"
To read more about Mr Hill’s fundraising journey, and to donate to his fundraising efforts for St Wilfrid’s Hospice, visit justgiving.com/page/chris-hill-44.
Mr Hill initially set a fundraising target of £1,250 but managed to exceed this, raising £1,760.
His determination was fuelled by the support of his donors as well as the presence of his late mother's Paddington Bear.
He said: "I kept in mind the huge amount of support I had from everyone who had generously donated to my cause, and that I had to make sure I got to the end to hold up my end of the deal."
Share