With you every step of the way. Hospice volunteer Mary’s Camino walk in memory of her husband Dave.

When Mary Holgate sets off at Palas de Rei in northern Spain on 7^th October this year, following one of the ancient pilgrimage routes on the Camino de Santiago, it will evoke fond and poignant memories of her late husband, Dave, who, with Mary, completed a longer road to Santiago de Compostela just eight years ago.

The Camino is actually a network of routes from France, from Portugal and within Spain, rooted in Christian tradition from the 9^th Century, that culminates in the final destination at the Cathedral of Santiago where the relics of the apostle St James, Santiago, are

Mary will be 82 when, over only three days, she begins to traverse the 67 kilometres across rolling green hills, via verdant woodlands and through picturesque villages.

That sounds idyllic but the company that organises the logistics describes the challenge as ‘tough’ and with elevations up to 550 metres it definitely IS tough..

There’s also the small matter of the first day being 27 kilometres, around 18 miles, just to ease walkers in.

Gosh! You can do it, Mary.

Mary told us a little bit about husband Dave her family, their Hospice at Home experience and her hopes for the Camino,

“Dave and I met in the late 1960’s. We were in an Heswall amateur dramatics adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for children at Christmas. He was the Knave of Hearts, and I was the ill-mannered cook.

“We married in 1972 and our four children, Iain, Michael, Rosemary and Lucy followed.

Dave actually grew up in Rhodesia, and he retained a slight southeastern African accent for all of his life. He worked in the steel industry, and this merited a family move to Scotland in the early 1980s.

This actually took me back to my roots as my mum was a Glaswegian and I’d been born in Dumfries.

When we moved back, in 1985, we settled into Wirral Life and enjoyed a pretty normal, loving, everyday, family life.

I took advantage of a Wider Opportunities for Women back to work programme and secured a job as a school secretary at Our Lady of Pity school in Greasby where I stayed until retirement.

We enjoyed our breaks to Hong Kong, Europe, Africa and in the UK, Dave played golf at Heswall and our six grandchildren, three boys and three girls, lit up our lives.

So, when Dave, who had never had a days illness that I could remember, reported a complete loss of mobility, originally down his left leg, we suspected he may have had a mild stroke.

This happened during the COVID lockdowns, but scans and tests were quickly arranged.

It was a truly devastating blow when Dave was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Despite surgery and radiotherapy his disease progressed and by spring of 2021 Dave was receiving care from an agency, and we were also being supported by the Hospice at Home team.

They were a Godsend for us. They enabled Dave to retain his dignity and some time for me and the family to get some appreciated rest time. They always seemed to arrive just at the right time.

Dave died in July. We were just a couple of months away from our 49^th wedding anniversary.”

It’s a poignant moment as Mary reflects.

A few months after Dave’s passing, she joined the hospice bereavement support group. Mary soon knew she wanted to volunteer at the hospice as a way of giving back for all the support she felt she’d had.

So now, you will find her, each Wednesday afternoon, greeting patients and families onto our inpatients ward.

“The hospice is a wonderful place. All the team are amazing. It’s a real privilege to be a part of it.”

As a keen walker, eight miles or thereabouts is a regular Heswall to Willaston, there and back, walk for Mary on the Wirral Way. She’s gradually upping the distance of her practise walks in preparation for her Camino de Santiago challenge.

As one of the warm-ups in the run up to October she is taking on the Wirral Coastal Walk with a couple of companions on Sunday 7^th June.

We’ll be there with you, and Dave, every step of the way, Mary.

Just as, as a valuable volunteer and a wonderful walker you’re there for us.

Thank you again, Mary!

If you would like to sponsor Mary for her special memory walk along the Camino de Santiago for Wirral Hospice St John’s please follow her Just Giving link here www.justgiving.com/page/mary-holgate-4  

If you’d like to volunteer at the hospice, or in your community at one of our charity shops, follow the links at www.wirralhospice.org/volunteering or email volunteering@wirralhospice.org or call 0151 334 2778 and ask for volunteer services.