How do you walk 949 miles from Aylesbury to Florence in Italy in lockdown? That’s the challenge Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity has set local people in a campaign to honour the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, on her 200th birthday on 12th May, which is the annual International Nurses Day as well.
The fact that Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday falls in a year when the nation’s Nurses are so much in the spotlight makes this anniversary even more poignant, and especially so for the Hospice at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury which bears her name.
If you were to walk, it would be 949 miles from the front door of Florence Nightingale Hospice to the centre of Florence in Italy, where Florence Nightingale was born 200 years ago on 12th May 1820.
To mark this important day and pay tribute to all nurses on International Nurses Day, the Charity is asking 949 people to sign up for just £2 and walk a mile on 12th May as part of their permitted daily exercise. The distance will be tracked on Strava and the route marked on the map on the Charity’s website as people complete their miles.
“We wanted to find a challenge that people could do during lockdown which would help us honour the Hospice’s namesake, and say thank you to our amazing Hospice nurses, as well as all the nurses around the world who are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic,” says Vicky Harman, Events and Community Fundraiser for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.
“This is a lovely way to mark Florence’s birthday, and highlight International Nurses Day as well as raising some money for the Hospice,” says Liz Monaghan, Palliative and End of Life Care Matron for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, who leads the nursing teams at Florence Nightingale Hospice.
“I will be walking my mile on the 12th and hope this virtual relay will inspire people to join me so that together we can walk from Florence to Florence in celebration of the compassionate care that the Hospice provides to the local communities.”
If you would like to take part in the ‘From Florence to Florence for Florence’ challenge, visit the Charity’s website at www.fnhospice.org.uk/florence2florence
