Amy Hart raises £2k with Pier-to-Pier challenge

In July 2019, two weeks after leaving the Love Island villa, Amy Hart visited Chestnut Tree House and announced her support for the charity. Along with her family, Amy has supported her local children’s hospice, for many years. Now, 10 months after her visit, she has raised almost £2,000 by taking on a 23-mile fundraising challenge.

“I’m a Worthing girl and it’s my local children’s hospice,” said Amy. “Even when I was younger, when anyone asked what charity I wanted to support, I always said Chestnut Tree House, so I’m really happy that I’m going to get more involved and help support this amazing cause.”

After hearing a Chestnut Tree House mum, Trina, give a heartfelt speech at the charity’s fundraising ball in November 2019, Amy made a special visit to the hospice before Christmas to meet Trina’s son, Craig, who has been supported by Chestnut Tree House for over a decade.

Inspired by Trina’s speech and meeting Craig, Amy pledged to take on a fundraising challenge for Chestnut Tree House in 2020. With fundraising events across the country currently postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis, Amy decided to set herself her own 23-mile Pier-to-Pier challenge.

On Tuesday 19 May, joined by her mum, Sue, Amy combined running and walking to cover the 23-mile round-trip between Worthing Pier and Brighton Pier. Setting off first thing in the morning, they completed the challenge in six hours and four minutes and have raised over £1,900 to date.

When asked why she took on the challenge, despite not being a keen runner, Amy said, “because I have a choice. The kids at Chestnut Tree House don’t have a choice to have a day off from having a life-limiting illness. It was really hard, but to raise money for such a fantastic cause that’s close to my heart, makes every ache, pain and blister worth it. Thanks so much to everyone who donated.”

Explaining what Amy and Sue’s challenge means, Chestnut Tree House community fundraiser, Caroline Roberts-Quigley said: “For 17 years, Chestnut Tree House has been here for local children and families when it matters most, and this is thanks to the support we get from our wonderful local community. Without people like Amy Hart and her mum Sue taking on challenges, raising vital funds and helping us to spread the word about the charity, we wouldn’t be able to care for the families who need us. The money raised will make a big difference, thank you.”

If you’d like to support Amy’s fundraising, visit her JustGiving page here.