Many of you will know that my wife Vickie, has lost both of her parents to Cancer over the last 4 years. Most recently her father Den or as we lovingly called him 'Dodge', was diagnosed and within two months lost his battle with this terrible disease in 2017.

Nothing can replace the times we had with Trish and Den, the fun we shared and the love they provided to us as a family and to all of those that they touched during their short-lived lives.

As a family we have felt blessed to have got to know the people and friends that Den met through Kemp Hospice. When he lost his wife Trish, he found the support of the team in Kidderminster invaluable in dealing with his terrible loss. 

During the last couple of years, Den found not only solace to deal with the bereavement he was experiencing but also dedicated his time to supporting others by becoming a Bereavement Counsellor to help them to deal with the loss of their loved ones.

In Den's final months, Vickie and her brother Christian were overwhelmed with the support and compassion shown by Den's friends at Kemp. It's hard to explain how much kindness was experienced to deal with the terrible situation and further demonstrated how much Den meant to Kemp Hospice and all the support he provided.

Doing something like this will never replace the loss we as a family have suffered, but this is my small attempt to repay all at Kemp Hospice and in particular the bereavement group for all of their kindness and support they provided to Dodge.

The weekend challenge I'm taking on in the rugged landscapes of Snowdonia is to successfully take on 3 different activities cycling 10.5 miles, followed by a 9 mile trek and then 2.5 miles kayaking plus transitions.

Please dig as deep as you can for this wonderful charity and show your support for the amazing work they do supporting people and helping to deal with the loss of their loved ones.

Thank you

Simon