A woman from Gedling is preparing to prove she’s made of tough stuff by completing a five-mile obstacle course in memory of her gran.
Jade Hutchinson is part of a seven-strong team from Nottingham-based telecommunications company VIA, who will compete in the Tough Mudder Half at Belvoir Castle on May 12.
The 25-year old is taking part in the charity challenge to help raise funds for Nottinghamshire Hospice after they provided much-needed support to her family following the death of her grandmother.
Jade will be joined by colleagues Edward Worthington, Gareth Sobocinski, James Bartlett, John Wright, Alex Tebbs and Ross Buggins at the Leicestershire stately home as they take on 13 challenging obstacles across five miles.
Not only have the team been training hard for the event, they have also visited the hospice, in Woodborough Road, which supported Jade’s mum, Jacqui Hutchinson, following the death of Jade’s grandmother, Margaret Kirk, two years ago.
Jade said: “This is the first year that VIA have adopted a charity to raise money for. We currently have a swear-jar in the office, which has over £50 in it so far, and we’re hoping to raise around £700 from the Tough Mudder Half challenge.
“Mum received counselling from them over the phone and it really helped her to cope with Gran’s death after a terminal illness.”
Nottinghamshire Hospice is an independent local charity which cares for adults in the city and county with cancer and other life-limiting or terminal illnesses, as well as supporting their families and carers.
“It costs £2.7m a year just to keep the charity going,” added Jade, “so we know how much they rely on fundraising.
“When we went to visit them we were surprised because it wasn’t the place I thought it would be. It was very uplifting and everyone who walked through the door had a smile on their face.
“They have a Tree of Life there, where you can dedicate a leaf on the tree to a loved one. It’s such a positive place to be.”
The Tough Mudder Half features obstacles such as the Quagmire – a pool filled with thick, oozy mud which competitors have to crawl through – and the Block Ness Monster; rotating barriers covered in the mud which Tough Mudders have to climb over.
Team VIA have been training for the event since the start of the year.
Jade added: “We’ve been running, swimming and generally getting in shape for the Tough Mudder,” added Jade, “it promises to be good fun.”
VIA, which is based in Upper Parliament Street, is also planning more fundraising events later this year including a ‘Dial-to-Donate’ event in June, where it will donate all of its profits to the hospice.
To donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamviatoughmudder
