Thousands raised for Bluebell Wood in memory of 'inspiring' Chesterfield-born boy

Michael Singh-Eyley, a people case support manager with the Royal Mail, tackled the sweltering challenge alongside 11 other colleagues from as far away as Glasgow and Peterborough. Whilst seven, equally hardy, colleagues from the south completed a separate 20miles in Bath.

With the colleagues working remotely from different areas of the country this marked only the second time they had met in person - and it proved to be one of the hottest days of the year.

For Michael it proved to be particularly sentimental as one of his younger brothers, Theo, was cared for by Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice until his tragic death in 2018 – aged just 11.

The Chesterfield-born boy had been diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, feeding problems, and severe reflux. He would later be registered as partially blind and underwent 37 surgical procedures during his short life.

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Michael explained how the hospice was able to support Theo and the family as a whole: “It was a safe haven for Theo, it really was. He started going pretty much a year after they opened and it was just respite. Sometimes my mum was in hospital with Theo everyday for three or four months so when (the Hospice) were able to to have him for a few days it just gave him and mum a break from being in a hospital.

“My younger brother Luis used to think it was like a little holiday when he would go and visit.”

Theo and his family were Sheffield United super-fans and Theo was able to meet Billy Sharp and Chris Morgan – cult figure at Bramall Lane – before he passed away.

The walk itself, at Ullswater, took place on June 14 with thousands of pounds raised for the organisation so far.

Denise Singh-Eyley, Theo’s mum, said: “There are many words to describe Theo. Beautiful, special, cheeky but probably the most fitting word is a ‘fighter’. Theo never ceased to amaze me; he inspired me and is a really super son. Everyone who knows Theo will agree no matter how poorly he was, he never refuses to smile.”

“Theo as ever amazed us with his fight all the way to his final moments with us, he left consultants speechless after he went on a five-week spell with no feed, this was following the consultant’s decision to withdraw treatment. He made it clear to all of us that he would decide when he wanted to pass, he did so in the presence of our loving family and the Bluebell Wood team.”

Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, based in Sheffield, opened in 2008 and is surrounded by six and a half acres of land. It offers eight bedrooms and accommodation for family – with the motto of ‘living with love and laughter’.

Speaking about the impact of their care, Theo said: “At the end, come the inevitable, I couldn’t have imagined it anywhere else. They made the worst time of our life bearable and we were able to enjoy time with Theo that we just wouldn’t have been able to at a hospital. It is fantastic to be able to give back to them.”

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/catherine-kidson.