Great Xscape Lowestoft raises £4,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice

Teams of people were blindfolded and left to get lost on Saturday 13th October for St Elizabeth Hospice’s first Great Xscape in Waveney.

Eight teams of three or four – most dressed in fancy dress – were blindfolded, dropped off in the middle of nowhere and had to find their way back to the Hotel Victoria, Lowestoft in the fastest time they could, in any way they could.

They were not allowed money, maps or mobiles and had to complete a series of clues before making their way back to the finish line.

All teams were sponsored and the event raised a total of £4,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice, a charity which provides local Hospice care for local people and has recently expanded its services in Waveney and Great Yarmouth.

The secret location turned out to be Minsmere nature reserve and the first team to make it back to the hotel was staff from Fosters Solicitors – which has branches in Lowestoft, Wymondham, Bungay and Norwich – who returned in two hours and 20 minutes. They made a banner saying’ help us for charity’ to attract cars and managed to get three lifts.

However the winning team – who answered the most clues and got back in good time – was staff from A1 Carpets in Halesworth.

The prize for fancy dress went to Happy Feet, made up of Hospice fundraisers dressed as penguins.

Teams found their way back through a variety of ways, one got on a boat, others hitched, walked or ran. Other teams included teaching staff from Homefield Primary School in Great Yarmouth, staff from SR Insurance in Lowestoft and friends from Kesgrave in Ipswich.

Leanne Carhart, St Elizabeth Hospice’s Event Fundraiser, said: “It was a fantastic day and we would like to thank all the teams and everyone who supported them. This was our first Great Xscape event in Lowestoft since we expanded our services into Waveney and Great Yarmouth and we are very grateful for the support we have received in our new area.”

Miss Carhart also thanked the volunteers who helped with the event, Panaramix who provided the mobile phone tracking for free and Hotel Victoria, which provided the use of their room as the start location.

St Elizabeth Hospice is an independent local charity which provides its services free of charge. It is investing £2.2 million over the next three years to expand its services in Waveney and Great Yarmouth.

The Hospice  cares for people living life with a progressive illness in East Suffolk, North Essex and South East Norfolk. It has services in Lowestoft, Beccles, Ditchingham and Ipswich and will open further day care services in Great Yarmouth.

For more pictures from the Great Xscape click here.

Up for a Hospice challenge? Why not see in the New Year with a splash and come along to St Elizabeth Hospice’s New Year’s Day Dip on Tuesday 1st January 2013 at Gorleston on Sea.
Click here to find out more.



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