Local resident Matt Grahame is taking on the ultimate challenge next spring as he tackles the South West Coast Path, in memory of his late wife Jan and to raise funds towards a new hockey pitch for the community.
In April, Matt will be taking on 630 miles of the South West Coast Path - about 20 miles a day - starting from Dorset and heading clockwise to the finish line. After the passing of his late wife Jan, Matt is doing this challenge to honour their ambition to walk the coast path, as well as raising money for a shared passion - hockey.
Jan was a ‘Lanson girl’. She attended Launceston College, played for Launceston Ladies’ hockey team and rode at St Leonard’s Equestrian Centre. She was one for getting ‘stuck in’ and was a well respected member of the community.
It turns out that Matt and Jan’s lives ‘followed each other’ up until they met. The pair unknowingly were in Essex, Plymouth and Surrey at the same time as one another, and it was in 1986 while they both worked for the NHS that they met. Jan worked for the NHS for 30 years, with much of that time being spent as a manager for Live Well in Plymouth. Matt said: “She really was an inspirational manager; she managed me at home too!”
Jan was a keen sportswoman and particularly loved hockey. She was a leading figure in the Launceston Hockey team for many years, having been captain of the Ladies’ team and coaching youngsters into the sport. “She was an inspiration to young people,” Matt said.
Active Launceston is now pushing ahead with fundraising for a hockey pitch which would be located off the Link Road, and Matt is hoping to contribute to this with his challenge.
He added: “I’d love to raise some money for a fantastic community project, to encourage kids into sport - I think it’s really important.”
To donate to Matt’s cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/matt-grahame