A Okehampton Specsavers director has braved the heat and raised £600 for Hospiscare in a fundraising firewalk earlier this year in memory of her father.

Kathryn Reynolds walked barefoot across coals heated to around 482° Celsius (900° Fahrenheit) to commemorate her father, Steve Morris, who passed away in 2024 after he suffered an aortic dissection - a life-threatening condition. This occurs when the wall of the aorta, the body’s largest artery, loses elasticity and tears. His death hit his friends and family especially hard, as there had been no indication that he was unwell beforehand.

Steve was from Ottery St Mary and in his youth took part in carrying tar barrels through the streets each year as part of a tradition thought to be connected to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. With her father’s connection to fire, Kathryn realised that firewalking was the perfect way to honour his memory.

As a tribute to her father, Kathryn decided to raise money for the local hospice charity, Hospiscare, which looked after him when he left hospital, while still in a coma.

She said: “My dad was treated at Derriford but didn’t come out of his coma. It was a massive shock to us all, but they were amazing at the hospice.“I was looking at things I could do to raise money for them. I’m not sporty, so I didn’t want to do any running events, but then I found out about the firewalk, and it seemed to fit perfectly.

“It was really good to do. To begin with, we did a mind-over-matter session. If you walk too fast or too slow, your feet get burned, so you just have to go at a steady, determined pace.

“It wasn’t hard to do, but it was a weird sensation. I was nervous before, but I really enjoyed doing it. There was a real togetherness between everyone who was doing it. Everyone supported each other. It was really positive, and I’m proud to have done it.”

Colleagues at the Specsavers Okehampton store all got behind her and contributed to her fundraiser.

Kathryn was among 80 people taking part in the charity’s second annual firewalk, which raised £20,000 on the night for Hospiscare.

Martin Stokke, senior events fundraiser at Hospiscare, said: “We’re beyond grateful to Kathryn and the other Hospiscare Heroes who took part in the firewalk and walked over hot coals in solidarity with our patients and their families, living with terminal illness.

“We’re also sending our thanks to the volunteers, staff and supporters who made this event possible and kept everybody safe. Together, we have raised over £20,000 for local end-of-life care, which is absolutely fantastic.”

Each year, Hospiscare cares for close to 2,200 people living with a terminal illness across Exeter, central and east Devon, but receives just 24 percent of its funding from the government, so it must rely on its community to raise the £10 million needed each year to fund patient care.

To find out more about Hospiscare, go online at https://hospiscare.co.uk.

Further information about Specsavers Okehampton is available at www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/okehampton or by calling 01837 650970.