"Dad called the Marie Curie nurses his angels"

A woman climbing Scafell Pike in aid of Marie Curie will once again remember her late father during the trek. 

Alison Durbin, who lives in Chepstow, first took part in a Marie Curie fundraiser last year when she and husband Ian took on Snowdon.  Her father Ken Perry received care from Marie Curie Nurses at home in Essex in 2015. 

“Dad was too ill to be taken to hospital, so he stayed at home,” said Alison, who along with her sisters and mum provided care for her father with support from Farleigh Hospice, who worked with Marie Curie and other health professionals to ensure the family was supported.

 “Dad called the nurses his angels. 

 “Because when this happens, you are expected to be experts all of a sudden and especially with someone so close to you, we of course were doing all the caring that we could, but we needed someone to say yes we were doing it right. 

“We did a lot of the night care ourselves, because although he was very poorly, there was nothing wrong with his brain!  He wanted to do crosswords all night, or sit up and talk all night, so we would take it in turns to sit up with the overnight health workers that came. “

Alison, who is climbing Scafell Pike on this occasion with her husband and brother-in-law, added that her father was a very proud man who was reluctant to tell her and her sisters about his diagnosis; it was his way of protecting them. Once they were aware of his condition, Alison and her family supported the nurses with her father’s daily care.

“The neighbours were amazing, they cooked whole meals for us and left them on the doorstep each evening – a true gift to us,” said Alison, 56. 

Last year, Alison and Ian took on Snowdon in aid of Marie Curie in memory of her father.

“My husband and I are interested in walking, but we don’t do any mountain walking,” she said. 

“But we chose Snowdon because my dad, who was born in Harrogate, was evacuated during the war to Blaenau Ffestiniog, so used to run around the lower slopes of Snowdon - and we thought it would be a nice walk to do. 

The day before our Snowdon climb, we visited the street, school and church where he had lived as a boy when he was evacuated during the war’.

And the memory of her father will also come into play when the pair walk Scafell Pike   - as Alison worked in the Lake District as a student, and celebrated her 21^st birthday there with her dad and mum.

She said her dad – described as a “true gentleman” – was a walker himself and would be pleased that fundraising was taking place in the fresh air for Marie Curie.

“He loved being outside and he was a doer.  He always did things and did things for others.  He was a bell ringer – he was Tower Captain for 15 years, he was a church organist and guitarist. He loved helping people.

“His neighbours would describe him as cheerful and always joking.  He was known as a true gentleman.  A friend said he was a man of modesty, charm and intelligence.”

Alison and Ian are now in training for the walk in September, and will be doing some “scrambling climbs” up Pen y Fan on the advice of their eldest son, a keen climber. 

“We’re both 56, but quite fit and we managed to climb Snowdon in awful weather, so as long as we do some scrambling training, I’m sure it will be fine.”

They will also be joined by Alison’s brother in law, Mike Spooner and the team will be fundraising under the group name Durbinmafia.

If you can support Alison, Ian and Mike by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/Durbini

To sign up to the Scafell Pike trek or any UK trek, visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved