Children’s ‘hospice heroes’ raise over £42,000 in our Race Across West Yorkshire challenge!

Children’s ‘hospice heroes’ raise over £42,000 in our Race Across West Yorkshire challenge!

The business charity challenge, inspired by the hit BBC show Race Across the World, saw 20 teams of two from local businesses race around six secret checkpoints, taking on challenges and trying to find their way around without their phones or their wallets, all under the watchful eye of a support crew and fleet provided by event sponsors RRG Toyota.

The teams began their quest at Bradley Wood Scout camp in Huddersfield where our CEO Gareth Pierce handed them a set of maps, a travelcard, snacks and drinks and a small amount of money to buy food. The teams had 12 hours to get around the six checkpoints which would be revealed throughout the day.

The teams’ first checkpoint was a dash over to Calderdale, for a visit to our charity shop in Hebden Bridge to buy a mascot for their team. Next stop was the picturesque village of Haworth where team members had to paint portraits of each other, before finding their way to The Bingley Pub in Horbury where they took on a challenge to score 101 points with six darts. Teams had to navigate back to Calderdale for their fourth checkpoint, a boating challenge at Shibden Hall and then head to Huddersfield for a football golf challenge at Bradley Golf Club. Throughout the day teams collected letters of a password at each checkpoint which they had to assemble to solve an anagram reading “We are hospice heroes” at the final checkpoint at Russell House.

Corporate fundraising teams from businesses all over Yorkshire gathered at the Accu Stadium in Huddersfield to celebrate and hear the results of Forget Me Not children’s hospice’s Race Across West Yorkshire: The Ultimate Adventure.

Gathering at the Accu Stadium in Huddersfield to celebrate and find our who had completed the race in the fastest time were team members and supporters from FMG, The RRG Group, AFP Digital, Fullers Foods International,  HSBC, Crowther and Shaw, YES Energy Solutions, Eximia Broking, Accu, Leach, Joda Freight, Morrisons, Ossett Brewery, ASG Produmax, Holdson, Colourcube Automotive Accident Repair Centre, Muslin Hall Garage, The Navigation Tavern, RSM UK and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Business Board.

The teams heard from Steve Lord, whose son Ethan often spent time at Russell House following a diagnosis of a rare degenerative condition, aged 9. Ethan sadly died in 2025. Steve praised the outstanding care given by the staff and shared how Ethan’s twin sister Madi continues to benefit from the charity’s sibling support work.

Clive Mattimoe, General Manager at RRG Toyota Huddersfield, said, “This year’s Race Across West Yorkshire was a heart-warming opportunity to remember and realise that there is a lot of happiness and kindness all around us. Watching the genuine joy of all our participants, the smiles on their faces as they came through the checkpoints and hearing their stories of the help they received along the way from complete strangers was a real tonic.”

“All 20 teams were great ambassadors for Forget Me Not children’s hospice, raising awareness as well as money all across West Yorkshire. Everyone at RRG Toyota is delighted that the event was a roaring success and that we’ve created an opportunity for the businesses who took part to raise a tidy sum towards Forget Me Not’s vital work with families facing the most difficult times.”

The winners of the Race Across West Yorkshire were the “Lost and Loving it!” team, Lucy Haigh and Chloe Brittan from Huddersfield-based refrigeration and air conditioning company Crowther and Shaw.

Lucy Haigh said, “I visited Russell House last year with my stepdad on an open day they had in October, and seeing what happens there – the hydrotherapy pool, the sensory room, and all the incredible facilities – was genuinely inspiring. My stepdad has raised thousands of pounds for Forget Me Not over the years after losing his son at the age of 13.

While I was there, I saw a brick on the donor wall with his name on it, and that’s when I knew I wanted to step up my own support. Hearing Steve Lord speak tonight about what Forget Me Not has done for his family, and the impact of losing his son, really helped me better understand what my stepdad went through all those years ago. It’s given me an appreciation for how things have improved and sadness that those supports weren’t there when they were needed most. I’m keen to do more and ready for the next challenge!”

In second place was “Morrisons Movers” – Wendy Hey and Ashley Hudson from supermarket giant Morrisons and the “A Thousand Miles” team Alexandra Sutton & Jodie Humphreys from Sheffield-based Eximia Broking finished in third.

Gareth Pierce, our chief executive said, “We couldn’t be more grateful to all the teams who reached out across their contacts and networks for sponsorship in this year’s Race Across West Yorkshire. Their efforts in the weeks leading up to this event and the ‘purple wave’ we saw as teams wearing Forget Me Not shirts dashed around our communities, goes a long way to raising awareness about our work and the amazing difference it makes to families across the region, as well as much needed funds.

“The hospice sector is in the middle of its biggest financial challenge in 20 years, but it’s much easier to navigate those challenges when you’ve got companies like RRG Toyota and our many business supporters standing shoulder to shoulder with us.

“Of the £7 million we need to run our hospice and our services supporting babies and children with life-shortening conditions and their families across West Yorkshire, we must raise over 80% ourselves. So we rely on events like this, people like our lovely competitors, all their sponsors and the many, many people across our region who support us.”