EIGHT friends and colleagues from the NHS South Lakes Rapid Response team will take on the Lake District Mighty Hike marathon in aid of Macmillan. 

The group of advanced clinical practitioners, specialist nurses and allied health professionals will walk 26.5 miles to 'give a little back' to Macmillan. The team come from different places between Kendal and Lancaster. 

31-year-old Kelly Dent (team lead) said: "Macmillan has supported so many of us personally and professionally and this is our way of saying thank you.

"They have helped so many times with practitioners. All of us on a personal level respect all the work they do. Why not challenge ourselves - make money for them?"

Kelly was asked if they were ready for the hike, which will start at Penrith on June 15. She said: "Some of us are in good shape - running, walking. Some of us not so much. It's quite a challenge but also a mental challenge. They are all really excited, it will be nice to do it as a group." 

The group are between 30 and early 50s in age. They have set up a Just Giving page with a £2,000 target. 

On the page, the team wrote: "By fundraising our pledge, we could pay for a Macmillan support worker for two days who could provide emotional, practical and financial advice to someone affected by cancer." 

Mighty Hikes take place in several locations across the UK, including the Yorkshire Dales from Skipton, in London, and from Bangor for Snowdonia. 

According to the Morecambe Bay Trust website: "Rapid Response is for people who do not need acute hospital admission but need support to recover from an acute illness or an accident. The aim of RR is to help prevent people from having to go into hospital or a care home unnecessarily."

The team competing in the marathon: 

  • Karen Keating- ANP
  • Kelly Dent - Team Lead
  • Nicola Caulfield - Staff Nurse
  • Sam Jones- Specialist nurse
  • Catherine Otway - OT
  • Emma Dixon - Therapy Assistant
  • Katie Metcalfe - Specialist nurse
  • Alison Oliver - Therapy Instructor

Donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamrapidresponsemightyhike