Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. My name is Cllr Simon Eardley and during the year 2025/26 I am fortunate to be the 'Sheriff of Chester.' One of my chosen charities is the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and, as in previous years, I am taking part in the '7 Locks, 7 Miles' sponsored walk on Sunday 20th July 2025.

This year, I'm undertaking the walk with a small team of supporters and helpers - and aiming to raise more for the Hospice than each of the previous times I've taken on this challenge. Can you help me and the team support this incredible charity? Find out a little more below about why it matters so much.

The Hospice of the Good Shepherd supports patients in Chester, Cheshire West, Ellesmere Port and Deeside who are facing a life-limiting illness. As the local councillor for the place where the Hospice is based - Backford - I am incredibly proud to have this really important organisation in my ward.

The Hospice's dedicated team of staff and healthcare professionals aim to meet the unique physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of those with a life-limiting illness, and help to maintain their dignity. They provide specialist palliative care for people with cancer and non-cancer life-limiting illnesses, at all stages of their illness.

They are not just focused on their patients. They recognise that its also a difficult time for relatives, carers and friends and they provide support for them too.

The Hospice of the Good Shepherd provides its services free of charge to its patients and costs £5.2million to run each year with just 17% of the funding received coming from statutory sources. The remaining 83% is raised from a range of fundraising events such as 7 Locks 7 Miles walk and the support of the generous local community in Cheshire. In addition, they raise money through their local charity shops and weekly lottery.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.