A gaggle of NHS workers will come together this weekend to put one foot in front of the other to fundraise for a 12-year-old boy with a brain tumour.
Staff from Dr Baxter and Partners at Shefford Health Centre have organised their fundraiser in aid of George Fox, who has glioblastoma - a highly aggressive and life-limiting brain tumour, which is more commonly found in adults.
His family have set up a GoFundMe for their beloved George - or Gorgeous George, as he's more commonly known - in a bid to raise £500,000 to fund pioneering treatment that will give him a fighting chance of survival.
George is due to fly out to Germany in the early part of this month to start a new experimental treatment, with the prospect of clinical trials also on the horizon.
To help get him there, the team at Dr Baxter and Partners will take on a scenic sponsored walk on home soil on Saturday, which will take trekkers around all four surgeries covered by the Ivel Valley South Primary Care Network (PCN) - Shefford, Larksfield in Stotfold, Arlesey and Lower Stondon - covering a staggering 15 miles.
The team set their sights on raising £500 for the Gorgeous George campaign, and, at the time of publication, have amassed £640 in donations.
Kelly Houghton, practice manager at Shefford Health Centre and a close friend of the Fox family, said: "Two or three people here had said that they were really trying to think of something that we could to do help as a practice."
Brainstorming for an activity that would unite everyone with a connection to the surgeries and the Gorgeous George fundraiser, Kelly explained that the team coming together for a cause so close to their hearts was of the utmost importance.
"We've got a few really keen walkers amongst us, so it seemed like a very sensible option!"
Newly retired partner Dr Griffith will join Dr Baxter and staff from Shefford and the PCN for the challenge, which is set to take the group more than six and a half hours to complete.
"The more we raise, the more satisfying it will feel, I guess!" Kelly added, acknowledging the scale of the challenge ahead.
"It spurs you on as you see the donations coming in online - it really adds to the team's enthusiasm.
"George has this Germany trip planned, and there are various other things like clinical trials coming up - and one of them costs £500,000. So, obviously every little helps!
"It'll be a really fun day for us all, with lots of laughs... and blisters!"
George's mum Louise expressed her gratitude to the team for coming together in support of George's big fight: "Thank you so much to our friend Kelly and all of the staff at Dr Baxter and Partners for doing this to raise money for our gorgeous boy.
"These sponsored events and every single donation will help get George the treatment options abroad that the UK can’t offer."
To donate to Shefford Health Centre's fundraiser, visit gofund.me/ce206639.
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