Daventry dad goes extra mile to support hospital who cared for daughter with spine condition

A Daventry dad has gone that extra mile to support the hospital who cared for his teenage daughter.

Phil Richman completed the 190 mile Coast to Coast Walk to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

He made his way across the Lake District, Pennines and Yorkshire Moors to complete the trek in just eight days, finishing last week.

Phil told this newspaper: “I wanted to give something back to the hospital who took care of my daughter Abbie.

"She had spinal surgery at the hospital last year after being diagnosed with scoliosis. We will be forever grateful to the surgeons, doctors, anaesthetists, nurses and staff for the care they gave her.”

Phil’s route was from West to East, St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay. He was joined by friend Aaron Gray.

His wife Claire said: “I’m super, super proud of him. It’s been a tough few years since our daughter, who is now 16, was diagnosed with scoliosis.

"It was a long waiting list, but she has now had surgery.

"We are so thankful to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and by doing this Phil feels he is giving something back.”

Phil said every penny raised will help the hospital.

He said: “Birmingham Children’s Hospital is a leading UK special paediatric centre that offers expert care to more than 90,000 children from across the country. The hospital delivers some of the most advanced treatments, complex surgical procedures and is at the cutting edge of research and development.

“The mission of the charity is to raise the vital funds needed to make a real difference to all who use its hospital services. This could be by helping to fund a newly refurbished ward or playroom, a state of the art piece of equipment, ground breaking research, or even a toy to a child waking up with us at Christmas.”

He added: “We know times are hard, so please give whatever you can afford, each and every pound will count.”

Phil has more than doubled his original £500 target for the hospital.

To support the fundraiser, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/phil-richman