Chesterfield sixth form students to take on marathon fundraising walk for Ashgate Hospice

The classmates, who are all in Year 12 at Outwood Academy Newbold, will walk a whopping 26.2 miles through the Peak District on Thursday, December 23.

They are raising funds to help Ashgate Hospice continue to provide vital care over the festive period.

Chloe Kestle is among those taking part alongside her friends Elise, Lucie, Sienna, Thailer, Cody, Joe, Ryan, Adam, Barney, Dan and Olly.

She said: “We wanted to do something in the winter holiday and though we might as well raise money for charity at the same time.

"So, we all decided on Ashgate as they help a wide range of people and we’ve all got personal experiences and know people who they have helped.

"We’re all in the Christmas spirit but [the patients at Ashgate] have life-limiting illnesses so can’t go out and do all the stuff we can do so we thought we’d try and raise as much money as we can to help give them as best Christmas as possible.”

With two days to go until the challenge, Chloe said the group are feeling nervous but remain determined having already smashed their initial fundraising target of £500 – with donations on their Just Giving page totalling £1,510 as of Tuesday, December 21.

“We were surprised with all the donations but now it’s made us more motivated,” Chloe said. “We told all our teachers and they’ve donated and helped spread the word around school.

"We’re a bit scared but we know we can do it. We’re going to have fun, listen to music and wear Christmas jumpers so everyone can spot us.”

Rob Southern, Head of School at Outwood Academy Newbold, said: "We are so proud of the students for the brilliant fundraising they are doing and fully support them with their sponsored walk.

"At Outwood, we want our students to play active roles in their local community and this is a perfect example of this.

"Ashgate Hospice does commendable work and we encourage people to continue supporting the students with their walk so they can in turn support Ashgate Hospice to help as many people as possible."

To support the students in their festive fundraising efforts, click here.

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.