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Gareth’s blog: Ten years, ten challenges and one very special place
Gareth’s blog: Ten years, ten challenges and one very special place
This September marks ten years since I joined Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.
Reaching that milestone has given me a chance to pause and reflect. Ten years can pass remarkably quickly, yet when I think about everything that has happened during that time, it is difficult to know where to begin.
I have seen our organisation grow, adapt and change. I have worked alongside extraordinary colleagues and volunteers, met generous supporters and community partners, and witnessed the difference that compassionate, specialist care can make to children and families.
Above all, I have been reminded time and again that a children’s hospice is far more than a building. It is the people, the care, the trust, and the countless shared moments that truly define it.
Every week, I speak with families who tell me how much our support means to them and the difference it makes in their lives. Hearing that fills me with pride, humility and gratitude that they trust us to walk alongside them through some of life’s toughest moments. It is all the motivation I need to keep going – to campaign for fairer hospice funding, raise awareness of the vital care we provide, and advocate for the investment children’s hospices deserve.
To mark my ten-year anniversary, I wanted to take on something that reflects the dedication, resilience and community spirit I have experienced throughout my time here.
So, I am taking on ten challenges for ten years at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.
Gareth Pierce, CEO
To mark my ten-year anniversary, I wanted to take on something that reflects the dedication, resilience and community spirit I have experienced throughout my time here.
So, I am taking on ten challenges for ten years at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.
My challenges are:
1. A ten-hour static cycle during Baby Loss Awareness Week in October.
2. Ten 10km runs, starting with The Abbey Dash 10km in November this year.
3. A Coast to Coast cycle challenge in 2027.
4. The Yorkshire Three Peaks in under ten hours in May 2027.
5. A Total Warrior challenge
6. A firewalk.
7. Ten volunteering shifts at Forget Me Not over the course of a year
8. More than 10,000 steps every day for as long as I can keep going
9. My first marathon, in October 2027
10. See how close I can get to raising £10,000 for Forget Me Not in my 10th year.
It is fair to say that some of these challenges take me well beyond my comfort zone. My current record for achieving more than 10,000 steps every day is 39 days, so even the challenge that sounds simplest may prove to be one of the hardest.
But this is not really about distances, timings or personal records.
It is about celebrating ten years of being part of an organisation that means so much to me. It is about recognising the colleagues and volunteers who bring such care and commitment to their roles. It is about standing alongside the families who show us what courage, love and resilience truly look like. It is also about helping more people understand why children’s hospice care matters.
The ten volunteering shifts are especially important to me. I did not want every challenge to be physical. Giving my time will allow me to work alongside some of the volunteers who contribute so much to Forget Me Not and to experience different parts of the organisation from a fresh perspective.
Over the coming months, I will share each of my challenges individually, including the preparation, the difficult moments and, hopefully, the finishes. I know there will be setbacks along the way, but I also know I will have an incredible community behind me, and of course the biggest motivation that anyone taking on a challenge could wish for.
To everyone who has been part of my first ten years at Forget Me Not, thank you. Thank you to the children and families who have placed their trust in us, to every colleague and volunteer, and to every person who has donated, fundraised, partnered with us or shared our story.
Ten years at Forget Me Not has given me memories, connections and experiences I will always carry with me.
Now it is time to begin the next challenge.
Actually, ten of them!
If you’d like to support my ’10 challenges for 10 years’, you can do so here. Thank you.
