Super sisters go the extra mile

Three sisters have been going the extra mile to show their love for their seriously ill father.

Valerie Cross ran the Longdendale Trail across Woodhead and on the Trans-Pennine Trail to Penistone and back - with sister Belinda Wyatt cycling beside her.

While back in Howard Close, Glossop, third sister Gill has been helping mum Ailsa care for their dad Malcolm Thompson, who is suffering from the effects of pneumonia.

Ailsa said: “The marathon run was Val’s idea, she was inspired by her dad to do it.

“Malcolm was a fell runner when he was younger and she came across his log book of runs.

“She did not do the run for charity. She told me ‘I want to do it for dad.’”

Also tackling the tough challenge - on their bikes - were Val’s husband Andy, her sister Belinda and Belinda’s husband Steve.

Ailsa said: “Our three daughters also have a rota to make sure that someone is with me every day to help me care for Malcolm and there are always two of us overnight.

“Our son Mark is in Australia and cannot come over, but he is ‘cheering from the sidelines’ and phones me every day.....they are all so supportive.”

Malcolm, 88, who with Ailsa, celebrated their diamond wedding two years ago, was taken into Tameside General Hospital on January 23.

He was there for a week and was discharged for  palliative care , before returning home to be cared for by community nurses and his family.

Ailsa said: “The staff at Tameside Hospital were wonderful with Malcolm and the district nurses and community nurses who come are very good with him.”

Val, who now lives on Shropshire, works in public health, Belinda from Birch Vale, is a neo-natal nurse, and Gill, from Buxton, who designed sister Val’s one-off running top and regularly takes part in park runs, is a housing officer.

Malcolm and Ailsa also have some caring neighbours and when long distance runner Val and her ‘cycling support team’ arrived back to a balloon and decorated Howard Close, everyone turned out to give them a rousing reception, to show that they too, care.

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