After the Euro 2020 Football Championships were cancelled this summer, Upminster Hockey Club decided created their own competition in which their 11 teams walked, ran or cycled the equivalent distance from London to the 11 host cities which were due to host the international football tournament. 

Having set themselves a target of covering 15,252km – the total distance from London to all the Euro 2020 host nation cities – over 31 days they completed an incredible 32,339km, more than double their original target.

The hockey club donated £1,680 to Havens Hospices, a charity which provides palliative nursing and supportive care to young adults and children with complex or incurable conditions across Essex free of charge.

Ryan Hodges the organiser of the challenge from Upminster Hockey Club said: “The original idea was just to keep us fit during the summer and with the uncertainty of a return we decided to raise funds for the club. However, with all the amazing work the NHS & key workers were doing during the pandemic we decided to donate half of the funds raised to Havens Hospices, a local charity which continue to do amazing things. I can’t thank everyone enough for their huge efforts in raising this amazing amount of money for the club and for the charity.”

 Emma Hamilton, Voluntary Income Team Leader at Havens Hospices said: “Due to the Coronavirus all of our public fundraising events were cancelled this year but the charity’s supporters have been amazing at finding other ways to support our hospice care by setting up their own imaginative virtual events. A huge thank you to Ryan and everyone at the Upminster Hockey Club – our hospice care can only exist because of the support and generosity from people like you who help us continue ‘Making every day count’ for everyone we care for.

To support Havens Hospices continue their mission of ‘Making every day count’ for everyone they care for, visit www.havenshospices.org.uk/fundraising

 Published 29th September 2020