PROSPECT Hospice has been given an early Christmas present in the form of a £6,000 cash boost from a big-hearted fundraiser who climbed three mountains in memory of his late mum.

Nick Adamthwaite’s mum Anne, who lived in Marlborough, was cared for at Prospect back in 2016 and after being impressed by the support the family received, he took on the challenge to scale the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours in July with nine friends.

The group made full use of social media and mobile technology to encourage friends and family to sponsor them as their challenge progressed and earlier this month, Bristol-based financial adviser Nick was able to hand over the proceeds.

“Me and my brothers, Rob and Will, were very keen to raise what we could for Prospect Hospice as a way of saying thank you for the care mum had,” Nick said.

“So I put the idea to my friends – mostly friends from university days – and we agreed to take on the Three Peaks.

We’re all young and fit and it just felt like a great thing we could all do, and for me a tribute to Mum’s memory. Mum was renowned for a red fleece jacket all the time, so we had red team fleeces made – she would have loved that.

“I’ll be honest – I didn’t really know anything about what hospices could do to help people like mum.

“But from the first time she met Linda, the clinical nurse specialist who helped her throughout her care, until the very end of her life at the hospice, it really felt as though she was in safe hands. We were even able to stay in one of the lovely lodges at the hospice while mum stayed here.”

In Nick’s view, more people should consider fundraising for hospices to support the work they do in local communities.

“I hear of a lot of fundraising for other cancer-related charities, but less so when people like mum have reached a place from which there’s no turning back,” he said. “They are all good charities, but bringing more of the support and care that mum had mattered most to me. Losing mum was incredibly sad, but the care that she had from Prospect Hospice at the very end of her life was the best that it possibly could be.”

Prospect Hospice fundraiser Martha Walker was delighted to receive the generous cheque from Nick.

She said: “It was a pleasure to meet Nick, his partner Jess and Anne’s sister Helen and we are hugely grateful to them for all that they have done to support Prospect Hospice. Their efforts will make a real difference for the patients and families we care for, here and in the local community.”