By Noah Roberts
Bramley woman Emma Allard is planning to walk 26 miles between Leeds and Skipton along the canal to raise money in memory of her sister.
Emma is fundraising for the Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, who planned her sister’s wedding in just 24 hours for sister who had only weeks to live.
Emma Allard is making preparations along with her family and a close group of
friends known as ‘the valkyries’ to embark on a staggering 26-mile fundraiser walk in honour of her younger sister Victoria Shaw.
Emma described Victoria as “an amazing soul that she was a force of nature and
one of the kindest person. I miss her dearly”.
Victoria Shaw – nee Allard – passed away recently at age 44 from cancer. Victoria came from a big family, being the middle sister, she had an older sister and was a loving aunt to three nieces and nephews.
Emma plans to embark on this giant walk from Leeds to Skipton along the canal with only a
few stops at Cross Flatts and Keighley.
She set up a fundraising page asking for just £400 to donate to the hospice which card for Victoria and to a surprise within a matter of days she raised over £1,400.
The fundraiser is still open and people are able to donate and it is now running into the
thousands.
Emma recalls Victoria suddenly seeming unwell before Christmas. She said: “We all worried
about her because she seemed very suddenly to be unwell.
“Victoria had been saying she felt something wasn’t right before Christmas as she had not been eating properly and was tired and lacked her usual energy.
“Victoria was the kind of person that would just keep pushing through though and didn’t grumble or complain and her attitude was just to get on with it.”
Victoria had visited the doctor and they thought her symptoms could be the peri-menopause and so nobody realised how unwell Victoria actually was until she was so poorly
that she had to go to hospital.
Victoria started telling them that she was unable to keep her food down and at the hospital they started doing scans, blood tests and biopsy.
Following all their tests, Victoria was diagnosed with bile duct cancer.
It was so aggressive that there was no chance for Victoria to have chemotherapy and within a few weeks of her being diagnosed she passed away.
“I hope other people will read this and act on how they feel and seek help from a doctor sooner. How many people will put their symptoms down to something else and just carry on like my sister did thinking it was a peri-menopause and, in fact, she had cancer.”
Victoria used to live on a narrowboat and loved being outside in nature. She lived with her
partner Dan who has his own business which kept them busy. Dan is one of Yorkshire’s
largest independent engineers for servicing caravans and is lovingly known as “Caravan
Dan”.
Soon after diagnosis Victoria was moved to a hospice where she was made more
comfortable.
Emma said: “I wanted to honour my sister’s memory by doing a special fundraiser and give what we raise to the Sue Ryder hospice Moorlands who cared for her in the last three weeks of her life.
“They did so much for Victoria, and us they were professional, caring and wholesome, they made us feel welcome as her family even accommodated family dogs. Victoria and Dan wanted to get married and staff at the hospice pulled out all the stops and within 24 hours, made a wedding happen!
“They managed to get a wedding dress, make up, wedding cake, suits for the men and flowers. It was quite incredible.”
Victoria married Dan within the hospice gardens with all her family sharing in that magical
moment.
Since Victoria’s passing, Dan helped set up a summer festival fundraiser at Airedale boat club on July 26 in aid of Sue Ryder. All proceeds from the walk were in aid of Monorlands Hospice managed by Sue Ryder.
If you want to join the walk, you can come along for the walk and bring your dogs. You can find out more here.
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