Consultant joined by daughter for ice adventure in aid of Willen.
A Milton Keynes hospice consultant starts a 40 kilometre charity trek across Iceland’s barren landscape today – and he’s taking his daughter with him.
Dr Ben Dietsch will be travelling by foot across the Nordic island to help raise funds for the hospice charity’s Willen at Home team. Daughter Phoebe, 16, is one of a group of 14 Willen supporters who have signed up to take part in the trip, which starts today and runs until 17th March. The route will take them up volcanoes and mountains, and across lava fields.
“Having worked in palliative care for a long time, I see first-hand that a lot of people don’t get an opportunity to do something like this,” says Dr Dietsch, who has been the hospice’s consultant for 20 years.
“I wanted to take this chance to give back and also do something really special with my daughter. Neither of us have ever done a trip like this before, so we’re a little apprehensive.
“The thing I’m most looking forward to is the scenery and just experiencing somewhere so different. Phoebe has done a fantastic job of fundraising already. She’s very arty and has been making cards to sell at school.”
Money raised from the challenge will help fund the work of the Willen at Home team, who take the hospice’s specialist care out into the homes of patients with a life-limiting illness.
Despite being the only service of its kind in Milton Keynes, Willen at Home receives no NHS funding and is entirely paid for through charitable donations – costing £1.4 million a year.
To find out more about other challenges run by Willen Hospice, or their campaign for fairer funding, visit: www.willen-hospice.org.uk.
