One of our biggest events in December is Reindeer Run. Schools across Calderdale sign up for each child to take part in raising sponsorship before the herd of little reindeer set off on their run.

Last year, the Reindeer Run raised an amazing £51,000 with 52 childcare settings taking part! One of these schools was Salterhebble Junior and Infant, in which an inspiring young student named Alice took part in their event and has blown away the staff at the school and Hospice with her incredible sponsorship journey.

With the help of her friends and family, Alice raised an incredible £6,702 and counting! This is more than some entire schools have raised and has amazed the staff at the Hospice who have gotten to know Alice and her family.

As Alice was raising sponsorship for her school’s Reindeer Run, her mum, Jenny, was a patient in Overgate’s Inpatient Unit. The school supported her through her fundraising journey and even waited for her to arrive on the day of the Reindeer Run before setting off, as Alice had spent the night before with her mum in Overgate’s Inpatient Unit.

Kim Szyczak, Ward Manager on the Inpatient Unit spent time caring for Jenny and her family and is one of the staff at the Hospice who got to know Alice and are very proud of her achievement. Here’s what she had to say, “Before Christmas we cared for Jenny and had the pleasure of getting to know her family. It was a special time at the Hospice but also a very difficult one for the families in our care, families like Alice and her dad, Richard, who would not be able to spend that special Christmas Day with their loved one. We made that time as magical as we could, and we hope the family have memories they can treasure forever of that time. We are so proud of Alice’s achievement! Raising such an incredible amount even as she was dealing with her mum being cared for at Overgate. We want to thank Alice for her commitment to our Hospice, and her family and friends for helping her raise over £6000! Alice you are a superstar and we are so proud to call you part of the Overgate family”.

Alice had this to say about her amazing achievement, "Overgate were very kind to my Mummy and our family, they always wanted to help. I feel so happy that I raised so much and it makes me so proud that I want to cry sometimes".

You can still support Alice by donating to her Just Giving page below. Each penny raised will help Overgate care for families like Alice’s today.

Support Alice

Become a Hospice Hero