Walker Construction Trust bring comfort to the Canterbury Pilgrims Hospice
The team from Walker Construction were delighted to be able to support Pilgrims Hospices with a donation of £5,070.
Raised by their staff for their community, colleagues of the Lympne-based company do various fundraising activities throughout the year to generate funds distributed by the Walker Construction Trust.
This particular donation was very special to everyone and was in memory of a dear friend and colleague, Danny Byatt, who was cared for at Pilgrims Hospices in Canterbury. After one of their charity events, it was decided that the funds raised would be donated to Pilgrims to support the charity that cared for him in his final weeks.
Steve Walker, Chairman of Walker Construction, visited the hospice along with Danny’s wife, Kim, and sister-in-law, Tracy, to proudly hand over the donation.
No words could ever thank the staff enough for the care, love and dignity they showed to Dan and myself. I will be forever grateful to them.Kim
Steve said: “The Walker Trust is delighted to support Pilgrims Hospice Canterbury in paying for air conditioning in memory of our former employee and friend, Danny Byatt. We are extremely grateful for the care he received during his time with them, which helped not only him but his family immensely at an extremely difficult time.”
The donation will be used to fully fund ceiling air conditioning for one of the bays in the inpatient units at the Canterbury hospice. This will be very welcomed and will create a comfortable environment for the patients we care for.
Leila Ilkhan, Corporate and Trusts Partnerships Manager, said: “We are forever grateful for the support of Walker Construction Trust, who are helping us to continue delivering quality end-of-life care to those who need it. We constantly strive to ensure we are delivering the best possible care, and without the generosity of people like Steve and his team, we wouldn’t be able to do so.”
Tracy and Kim remembered Danny at Sunflower Memories at the Canterbury hospice in July 2024
While here, Steve, Kim, and Tracy reminisced about Danny, who was a keen golfer and spent his entire 48 year working life at Walker. Joining at the age of 16 years, Steve recalled how, “Danny lived Walkers and he was part of the family and someone I saw as an older brother.”
Kim described how “no words could ever thank the staff enough for the care, love, and dignity they showed to Dan and myself. I will be forever grateful to them.”
Danny spent three weeks in the Canterbury hospice and died on 25 May, FA Cup Final Day. He saw his beloved Manchester United win against Manchester City, and as the United manager collected the trophy, Danny passed away.
Steve continues, “Through our donation, we can make life more comfortable for future patients and the hard-working staff. It is an honour for us to support the hospice in this way and for us to be able to remember and cherish our dearly missed colleague and friend, Danny Byatt.”
Walker Construction will be joining Pilgrims Hospices on 13 September to tee off for local hospice care at our annual Golf Day at Cantebury Golf Club.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,500 people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity supports patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
