Four friends and I will be walking the length of the South Downs Way for one week beginning July 5th. We intend to camp along the way. The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath in Southern England and is one of Britain’s National Trails. It runs for around 100 miles, stretching from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in Sussex.
I am doing this in memory of my cousin Clemmie Nicholson and also to raise money for the charity ‘INQUEST’. My target is to raise £350.My cousin Clemmie tragically and suddenly passed away whilst boarding at Rugby College, three days before her 18th birthday, on the 7th of May 2009. She contracted Meningococcal Septicaemia which is a rare type of bacterial meningitis, which sadly, in most cases is fatal.
Clemmie was like a sister to me. I remember her as such a lovely, bubbly and kind person to be around and she is greatly missed by all whose lives she touched. As Clemmie was a passionate walker and also completed her Bronze, Silver and Gold DofE awards; I thought that challenging myself to complete this walk would be a lovely thing to do in her memory.During this incredibly difficult time INQUEST showed great support and worked very closely with our family so that we were able to have a full investigation into Clemmie’s death. INQUEST is a small charity who provide free advice to people bereaved by a death in custody and is entirely independent of government. Inquests can often be hugely expensive and many families are unable to afford some or all of the cost associated with this process. When Clemmie passed away an inquest was the only opportunity our family had to ask questions that surrounded her death. INQUEST, alongside financial help, also supports families through the on-going pain of the bereavement itself. INQUEST has a very small and dedicated team of seven, who astonishingly manage to help over 400 families each year providing a vital service at a deeply traumatic time. Here is the link to their website if you would like to read more about this amazing charity and the work they do: http://www.inquest.org.uk/
Love you and miss you Clemmie xThank you all for your support!
