Zara completes 150-mile tribute to her father and St Peter's Hospice
A Bristol teacher has completed a 150-mile walk and cycle ride in memory of her late father, bringing to a close a decade-long challenge to raise money for the charity that supported him.
Zara Kindred promised her father Rob she would raise £18,000 (the cost of running St Peter’s Hospice for a day in 2015) to say thank you for the care he received there.
Having raised over £13,500 for the charity in the last 10 years, Zara from Henleaze, aimed to collect the remaining amount from a sponsored 150-mile walk and cycle ride from Great Torrington to Bristol, alongside her pet cockapoo Chester.
Zara completed the trek in six days raising an additional £4,800 and bringing her total to £18,300 for Bristol’s only adult hospice.
Rob Kindred, UK sales director for Dartington Crystal, and Falkland veteran died aged 52, in March 2015, nine weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive terminal illness.
“We are so thankful to St Peter’s for all they did for us and wanted to give something back,” said Zara, who teaches health and social care at Montpelier High School in Bristol.
“Doing the challenge was certainly an adventure! It was emotional but such a brilliant experience. The support and encouragement along the way was lovely, particularly when we arrived at St Peter's Hospice at the end, it was such a warm welcome.
“St Peter’s has a special place in our hearts. It was a place of safety where we had time to be together, to say everything we wanted to say to each other.
“I used to do my schoolwork, and my homework sat at his bedside.
“Although it was a sad time, we also see it as a time when we were closer than ever, sharing stories and simply
being together in those final days.”
Rob was given two weeks to live after his diagnosis but lived for nine weeks, and he spent his final few weeks as a patient at St Peter’s Hospice.
“Before he died, I promised my dad I would raise £18,000 for the Hospice. They rely on donations, charity shop donations, gifts in wills and fundraising.
“It’s not just the care in the hospice, it’s the whole community, providing specialist nurse care, nurses who visit the home, support for the family and bereavement services.”
While at St Peter’s Hospice, Rob encouraged the family to make a list of the things they needed to do and achieve after his death. One of which was to get a dog.
"We started looking at different dogs, showing them to him and asking, ‘What do you think of this one?’ Among them was Chester, who was just a tiny pup at the time.
“My dad was right. He has brought us so much joy over the years. In a way, when I look at him, he feels like a link to my father – though sadly, they never had the chance to meet.”
Zara started from Dartington Crystal’s factory and visitor’s centre in Great Torrington, taking the coastal route to Bristol, ending at St Peter’s Hospice in Brentry.
She was joined on the route by her boyfriend George and mother Vicki. Zara’s brother James, who is currently living in Australia, sent his best wishes.
Zara describes her father who was born in Newcastle as a big-hearted ‘kind Geordie’ who was loved and respected by those who knew him and worked hard for his family.
Rob left school and joined the Royal Navy, and later enjoyed a successful career with Waterford Wedgwood, Stuart Crystal, and Caithness Glass before joining Dartington Crystal in 2004.
Rob met his wife Vicki, while living in London and working as a Phileas Fogg crisps salesman. He later moved to Bristol to be with her.
Zara’s fundraising page can be found at - https://www.gofundme.com/f/zaras-150-mile-challenge-for-st-peters-hospice
