Funeral director conquers fear to help raise £10k for charity

Funeral Director Abbie Reeve fought her fear of heights by scaling The O2 Arena to raise funds for Thames Hospice. Reeve, of E Sargeant and Son Funeral Directors in Slough boosted the £10,000 annual fundraising goal pledged by the business by completing the climb over the roof of the iconic London building with her sister. She set up a donation page and spread the word to local ministers, hospitals, funeral celebrants, crematoria and cemeteries with operations manager Mark Clements. Reeve and sister Paige also handed out sponsor forms during their family events to drum up support. She said: “I’m not particularly keen on heights and it took a lot of willpower to do. But knowing the money we were raising would dramatically improve the quality of life for those with serious illnesses got me over the fear. “The glass of champagne we reserved to have on the roof was also a great incentive to get me up there.” The event raised £800 in a significant boost to E Sargeant and Son’s £10,000 annual target for Thames Hospice, the East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire charity caring for adults with life-limiting illnesses. Mark Clements also raised over £500 towards the goal by opening a donation page and completing a sponsored bike while suffering an ongoing heart condition, cycling 34 miles from London to Windsor in three hours. He said: “I have good and bad days with my heart condition so I’m never sure if what I plan for will actually be deliverable. “This bike ride was a real personal challenge for me, a great way to push myself and edge closer to the £10,000.” E Sargeant and Son has pledged to raise £10,000 for Thames Hospice every year for five years, totalling in £50,000, and is already seeing “significant impact” with the money raised from these charity events. Mark said: “The new hospice which Thames Hospice is building is really coming along, so every penny really does count. We haven’t restricted our funding so the hospice can use it for the new build or for delivering excellent patient care which it is known and admired for.” E Sargeant and Son is part of the Funeral Partners family of high-quality funeral businesses with branches in Slough, Maidenhead and Windsor, which are all working tirelessly towards the £50,000 five-year target.