Despite the stormy conditions at the weekend, Louise Alexander and three friends walked from Hawes to Barnard Castle to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, in memory of her brother, Sam.
Sam had Cystic Fibrosis and died in March, aged 32. He regularly contributed to the columns of the Teesdale Mercury.
Louise and her friends, Evalyne Bradman, Rio Fennel and Katie Storey, left Hawes at 8am on Friday and, after an overnight stop, finished the walk at 4pm on Saturday, having walked about 32 miles.
Louise said: “Not only was the weather wet and windy on Friday, the route across the Pennine Way was very challenging, which made it difficult, but nothing was going to stop us.
“Saturday was a better day and we were over the moon to reach Barnard Castle, raising much needed funds to support others suffering from this awful disease.”
After Sam died, his family set up a Just Giving page and hoped to raise £5,000 for the CF Trust.
With the help of Sam’s friends and the community, the total raised now stands at more than £33,000. A further £5,817 has been raised through the Government’s Gift Aid scheme.
Sam’s mother, Denise, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support and generosity of the community and local businesses.
“So many people have supported the fundraising in so many different ways – physical challenges, donating raffle prizes, selling and buying raffle tickets, selling hand-printed cards or simply donating to the Just Giving page. We cannot thank them enough. Sam would be so proud of everything that’s been achieved.”
Denise continued: “Although this is the last major event for this year, the fundraising is set to continue into 2026 as friends and family are keen to help.”
