A courageous mum-of-two with incurable cancer joined colleagues for the last mile of a 200-mile charity walk she inspired.
Around 70 staff from the Everbright Group’s hotels took on the gruelling 10-day trek from North Wales to Penrith in relay teams to raise money for Breast Cancer Now.
Along the way they were met by well-wishers who stopped to donate and share their own emotional experiences with cancer.
The challenge was sparked by the determination of much-loved colleague Fiona Sellars, the group’s marketing and support manager, whose strength has left a lasting impression on those around her.
Known to colleagues and friends as Fi, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and has since undergone more than 50 rounds of treatment, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgery.
Her resilience in the face of the incurable diagnoses became the driving force behind the ambitious fundraising effort which also marks the hotel group’s 10th anniversary.
After weeks of preparation and planning, the fundraisers were waved off from Everbright’s Belmont Hotel in Llandudno.
They visited sister hotels on their 200-mile trek, including Llandudno Bay Hotel, The Wild Pheasant and Spa in Llangollen, Rossett Hall near Wrexham and Stone Cross Manor in Kendal, before crossing the finishing line outside the George Hotel in Penrith.
At every hotel during the challenge, the fundraisers were warmly welcomed by their colleagues.
Fiona, who lives in Appleby, walked the first part of the first leg to cheer the fundraisers on their way and she was there to complete the last mile of the final leg as the team of fundraisers marched through Penrith.
Fiona thanked everyone for supporting the challenge, including her two daughters, Molly, 27, and Lola, 20, who took part in the final stage.
She said: “They have all been so amazing, it’s all been very emotional, I just can’t take it all in, it’s all a bit unreal.
“It is a group achievement and the whole thing has just been ‘wow’
“And it is great to see the money coming in, it is so humbling.
“I am so proud of Molly and Lola for taking part in the challenge.”
Fiona paid special tribute to the company’s Adrian Barsby who walked the entire route, and Becky Shields, who cycled the full route.
She said: “Adrian is honestly amazing.
“He kept jolly all along the way and has done something so special.
“And for Becky to do the whole thing on a bike is incredible, it’s a remarkable achievement.”
Adrian, 66, is no stranger to walking challenges, having completed a 190-mile walk in nine days from St Davids to Holywell 12 years ago for Alder Hey Hospital.
According to Adrian, he was hugely proud of everyone who supported the initiative.
He said meeting members of the public on the way who donated to the cause and told the fundraisers about their own cancer battles was “absolutely humbling”.
Adrian said:
“During the last leg, Fiona and several others joined us for the final mile, raising the number of walkers to 25.
“The support from throughout the hotel group has been wonderful.
“Our managing director Lei Ma has taken part in many of the legs, our operations director Darryl Shaw took part, and pretty much walked most of Lancashire with me, while operations manager Nic Rowland also stepped up to the challenge and was a great support.
“Catalin Oanea, our group operations manager, just got back from holiday and the next day was walking with me from Kendal to Shap and on to Penrith for the final leg.”
Becky Shields, general manager at The Wild Pheasant, took on her own separate challenge by cycling the route in two days, timing her arrival at the same time the last group of walkers reached The George Hotel.
Becky, from Oswestry, was accompanied at the start of the cycle by Everbright Hotels colleague Max Vander Heiden from Llandudno to Flint and then met her boyfriend Tommy Hunter further along the journey who accompanied her to the finish.
She said: “Max cycled with me for 55km, and good on him, because he was only going to cycle for a kilometre to get me onto the main road.
“I got caught in a thunderstorm and it was then I met up with Tommy, who was under a bridge hiding from the thunderstorm.
“There was a hill where the thunder started, and it was one of the biggest hills I had ever seen in my life.
“When you’re trying to get up this big hill and you can hear thunder cracking above you, it’s horrendous.
“I was blue in the face, my lips were blue, my feet were numb, I was frozen and shivering.
“But we got back on the bikes on the second day and we headed off to the finish in Penrith.
“The weather on the final day was pretty good, it was sunny when we set off and stayed grey and cloudy.
“The challenge was the furthest I have ever cycled in one day, I have never cycled 100 miles before.
“As I got over the finish line I was just thinking about Fiona, it is all for Fiona.
“Four of my colleagues at The Wild Pheasant walked 20 miles as part of the challenge, they did an amazing job, I am so proud they made it.”
Everbright Hotels operations director Darryl Shaw took part in six of the 10 days of the challenge, including the start and finish.
He said: “It has been very humbling to meet so many people who have told us about their own cancer battles.
“All those who took part in the challenge, in whatever way they supported it, can be hugely proud of their efforts.”
The group’s managing director Lei Ma took part in four of the stages, including the start and finish.
He said: “To take part in this was absolutely amazing, the challenge was unbelievable. I am so proud of the team.”
Lei was joined on the last leg by his wife Amy and their two children, Maxi, 14, and Ethan, seven, as well as his best friend John Chu and his family.
Colleagues who didn’t take part in the actual walk and cycle also did their bit to contribute to the fundraiser by organising various money-spinning initiatives.
A JustGiving page has been set up for the charity challenge, which has a £10,000 target.
People can donate to the fund by visiting https://justgiving.com/page/everbright10yrbreastcancernow
