Buckinghamshire woman raises over £100k for Macmillan after they helped her mother
Fiona Phimester has been fundraising for a decade now
In the last decade the Buckinghamshire resident has raised a huge amount for the charity.
In 2010 Fiona Phimester lost her mum to brain cancer, aged just 63 and since then the Stewley resident has been fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Fiona has never forgotten the 'magic' touch of the two Macmillan nurses in Inverness who did everything to make her mum, Nancy Campbell, feel comfortable in her final months.
Now, a decade on she has joined a handful of people who have managed to raise £100,000 for the charity.
It all started with a charity 'bacon butty' morning, then during the pandemic Fiona launched a lockdown curry service, held a takeaway pizza night, walked 26 miles with friends, organised two yoga and wellbeing days at Ascot House - a local National Trust property - and also sells cake to order for locals.
Looking back, Fiona said:
"I held my first event for the charity in our small village hall and raised about £400. I showed my mum the photos the week before she passed away in November, and since then, the sky's been the limit when it comes to finding new ways to support Macmillan.
"The day we finally hit our target was a crazy one. We'd just had our second yoga and wellbeing fundraiser at Ascot House, swiftly followed by a takeaway pizza night later that evening, but I didn't want to announce we'd done it until everyone had left.
"Unbeknown to me, my family and a few friends had gathered in the kitchen to surprise me with flowers and a bottle of champagne, which we wasted no time cracking open!"
"It was a great feeling, especially this year, when the coronavirus has made it such a challenge to come up with new ideas that are safe and comfortable for everyone. Raising £100,000 is something I never would have expected, but I'm pleased we've made it.
"It's been fun and I enjoy doing it, but there's no way I could have achieved this by myself - there are so many robins to my batman."