Nikita provides inspiration for fundraising efforts

 

A team of fundraisers have supported the Cystic Fibrosis Centre at Heartlands Hospital by raising £6,850 following an epic fundraising challenge that saw them drive the North Coast 500 road in Scotland.

The team were led by Peter Bevington and Carl Beasley, who had a special reason for fundraising for the ward. Peter’s step-daughter, Nikita, sadly passed away on the ward having lived with Cystic Fibrosis.

Peter said: “Nikita was born with Cystic Fibrosis and through her life it got progressively worse. As she grew up, she started receiving treatment at Heartlands Hospital and spent a lot of her time here on Ward 26.

“She was 26 when she passed away but she had lived her life to the full, she’d done everything that she could do including holidays abroad.”

The challenge saw the team drive a fleet of classic cars from the Midlands to Scotland and back, and you can hear more from them in this video.

This challenge was not the first time that Carl and Peter took on a fundraising challenge. In 2017 the pair rode motorbikes from Lands’ End to John O’ Groats, raising £10,000 for three charities.

It was whilst they were on this fundraising journey that Nikita passed away. John said: “It was two days after her 26th birthday and we had just got to John O’ Groats and we got the call. The sun was setting over the Orkney Islands, the moon was on the other side and there was a rainbow behind us.

“It was a really meaningful moment. It was almost like she was holding on for us to complete the journey.”
Speaking of the money that the team raised from their latest challenge Peter said: “What we put in will make a massive difference to the unit. Nikita spent a lot of her time here and passed away here, so we want to make it as comfortable as possible for other Cystic Fibrosis patients.”

Sian Averill, Fundraising Manager at Heartlands Hospital, said: “Our thanks go to Peter, Carl and the team for their incredible fundraising efforts. The money that they have raised will go towards the hospital charity’s contribution of £20,000 to fund an isolation room on the unit to make it more comfortable, bright and homely for patients who, in their last few years of life, can spend a third of their year in hospital.”

You can support the Cystic Fibrosis Centre at Heartlands Hospital by donating at the top of this page.

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University Hospitals Birmingham Charity is a company limited by guarantee in England (No.10004003) and a charity registered in England and Wales (No.1165716).Registered Office: Fisher House, Mindelsohn Way, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2GN

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