Mum from Bedfordshire village set to complete amazing fundraiser for sick children's charity

A determined mum from Clophill is set to finish her spectacular fundraiser for a charity which supported her with a place to stay when her son was in hospital.

Jo Jones set herself the challenge of walking for at least two miles a day throughout March, but just a few days in she decided to make the challenge even harder by cycling the distance as well.

This fundraiser is the latest in a long line of events Jo has organised to thank The Sick Children's Trust for supporting her with a ‘Home from Home’ 13 years ago when her son was in hospital.

Harry, who was 10 at the time, was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to have surgery on a suspected brain tumour.

However during the operation it was discovered it was in fact a blood clot. Following surgery, Harry had a long recovery and needed to relearn how to walk and talk due to his major operation.

Throughout this time, Jo and her husband Ben could always be by Harry’s side as they were given a place to stay at The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Home from Home’ Acorn House.

Jo said: “We received such marvellous care from the staff at Acorn House and we were so incredibly grateful to have a place to stay close to Harry. We were in complete shock at the time with so much going on and without the ‘Home from Home’ only one of us would have been able to stay at the hospital.

“We have hosted previous fundraisers for The Sick Children’s Trust and I decided to set myself a physical challenge this time to complete during lockdown to raise more money for this brilliant charity. I’ve never done anything like it before and unfortunately I did injure my back which has postponed my completion date.”

Abi Abdel-aal, Acorn House manager, said: “Jo and her family have been amazing, long-term supporters of ours and we can’t thank them enough for all of their fundraising efforts. Jo is a superstar for completing this tough challenge."

More details about Jo’s fundraising can be found on her Facebook page