Retired police officer treks 24 miles to raise funds for Doncaster neonatal unit

Late last year, retired police officer David Westwood completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, raising nearly £1,000. David’s daughters Aimee-Lauren and Gabrielle were born premature and cared for by the neonatal team at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. Aimee-Lauren now works on the neonatal unit as a nurse.

He says: “We are blessed and grateful for the NHS and especially the neonatal unit.” The funds raised will support the unit with upgrading its parent facilities and introducing a dedicated bereavement space.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge is a 24-mile round trip over three mountains in the Pennine range: Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. Covering 1,585m of ascent, hikers aim to finish the journey in 12 hours or less. Beginning at 6am, David and a group of colleagues set off from Horton-In-Ribblesdale, a village about three miles west of Pen-y-Ghent.

Standing at 694m, Pen-y-Ghent was windy, drizzly and steep, David recalls: “It was extremely taxing on the knees.”

Despite sustaining an injury two weeks prior during a rugby match, David was determined to complete the challenge. Carrying roughly seven litres of water added extra weight, forcing the hikers to dig deep when ascending, he explains, and cold temperatures, rain and driving winds across all three mountains made it an especially challenging journey. “All I could think of was who I was doing this for. Not for myself but for those who need the most support at the start of their lives.” He completed the challenge in 11 hours and 55 minutes.

“As a father who has been deeply touched and fully aware of the wonderful effort this committed group do; I wanted to raise funds for a charity close to my heart.”

Senior sister for the Neonatal Unit Michelle Clarke says: “We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation and the huge amount of effort put into raising it for us. The funds David has raised will take us a significant way to improving the facilities for parents and babies spending time on our unit during what can be a troubling and upsetting time. From all of us at the unit, thank you.”

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity is the official charity that supports Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Trust to go above and beyond by providing additional equipment, services and amenities for patients, visitors and staff that cannot be funded by the NHS alone.