Trekkers are set to tackle Wales’ highest peak in an attempt to raise a mountain of cash for a children’s hospice.

The Hope House Children’s Hospice challenge will see an army of fundraisers take the Llanberis path to the summit of Snowdon Sunday, July 1.

And some of the nursing and counselling and bereavement teams have polished their walking boots and are preparing to join supporters in helping to raise vital funds.

Yvonne Riley, Ty Gobaith’s hospice coordinator, who also works as a nurse on the hospice’s care team, says many people are surprised to discover the hospices are essentially happy places.

Yvonne, who has worked at Ty Gobaith for six years, said: “People think a children’s hospice is going to be a sad place but that just isn’t the case. There is a lot of living that goes on here. The children have a lot of potential to fulfil even if they have shortened lives to live.

“We are here not just for the children but for their parents, siblings and families and we have good times. Obviously, as a hospice, we provide end of life care and when a child dies it has an impact on the hospice. Of course it affects us all as a team but we support each other.

“My role is mainly a managerial one but I do still work as a nurse on the care team a couple of times a month. It’s a great team including nursing and support staff and we all work well together."

She added: “Ty Gobaith is in such a beautiful location. My spirits are lifted every time I drive into work! I’ve quite recently tackled walking holidays in Nepal and India and I’m looking forward to walking Snowdon. It’s going to be a fun day.”

Ty Gobaith Homecare Coordinator, Pam Mathias, who has worked at the hospice for 10 years, is also taking on the Snowdon trek despite a knee replacement operation last year.

She said: “I manage a small team of nurses and carers providing nursing care and support for the child or young person within the family home. This may be respite or end of life care working closely with other statutory agencies and services.

“I occasionally work as a nurse on shift in-house and also rotate onto the hospice management on call rota.

“I completed a post graduate diploma in paediatric palliative care through Cardiff University in 2011 which has helped me consolidate my palliative care knowledge within my role at the hospice.

“I love what I do at the hospice and feel passionate about what we do and the need to ‘get it right’ for our families throughout their journey. We can’t change what the future holds but we can help make it the best it can be.”

She added: “I climbed Snowdon for the first time last summer; we went up the Pyg path and down the Miners. Going up was fine, coming down was torture!

“But if we can raise as much as we can then it can only help us to reach more children, young people and families that need our support.”

Counselling and bereavement team members Jane Gibbins and Louise Cook are also donning their walking boots and taking on Snowdon in support of the hospices.

Jane Gibbins, who has worked for the hospice for more than five years, said: “Counselling offers a safe, confidential space where clients are listened to, accepted and understood.

“Our counsellors are professionally qualified and trained to offer help to children, young people, adults, couples and whole families. All counselling and bereavement services are provided free of charge.

”There are times when we all encounter difficult or painful experiences which we need to talk through with someone else. Family and friends can be very supportive, but sometimes they are unable to offer the particular kind of help needed.”

“We work for a very supportive charity and the counselling team offer amazing support to each other. We all have clinical supervisors to ensure we work ethically, deliver the best possible support to our clients and that we feel supported as individuals.”

She added: “We also provide a service to families in the community including parents facing the death of a child, children and young people bereaved of a sibling or bereaved through the sudden and unexpected traumatic death of a significant other.

“And we have a another colleague joining us on the fundraiser, Vida Kennedy, who is able to offer counselling and bereavement support in the medium of Welsh which is very important.

“Whether we will enjoy walking up Snowdon is another matter but we are keen to join our team of fundraisers and supporters in raising as much money as we can for the hospice and we are looking forward to taking on this challenge as a team.”

And according to Hope House area fundraiser, Hannah Robinson, there’s still places available to those that would like to join the event which involves a nine mile trek to the top of Wales’ highest mountain.

She said: “The event is open to children over the age of 14 and adults, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. The walk will follow the Llanberis Trail to the top of Snowdon. Led by experienced guides the trek will be at pace that enables everyone to keep up.

“All monies raised from the Snowdon trek will go towards the £6.3m annual running costs of T? Gobaith in Conwy and Hope House in Oswestry who provide specialist nursing care in addition to practical and emotional support to life-limited children, young people and their families from Shropshire, Cheshire, North and Mid Wales.

“We need to raise in excess of £6m a year to support all the children and families we help from across North Wales, Shropshire and parts of Cheshire.

“It’s so sad that each week three families in our area face their biggest fear and their child dies and at the moment we can only afford to reach and help one.”

She added: “It costs £20 to register for the Snowdon trek with a fundraising target of at least £100 in sponsorship.

“Walkers will be provided with a free Snowdon Trek T shirt, supplied by merchandising company and event sponsors Sional. Check in will open at 7.45am. Everyone taking part will receive a medal.”

For an information pack email fundraising@tygobaith.org.uk or contact the fundraising office in Chester on 01244 340 759 or Conwy on 01492 596581.

To find out more about Hope House Children’s Hospices and how you can help please visit www.hopehouse.org.uk