11:43 am, July 27, 2022
A loving father who completed a gruelling charity challenge in memory of his stillborn daughter has thanked a Nissan dealership in Halifax after it gifted him a support vehicle.
Ben Moorhouse completed a non-stop 180 mile walk from London to Manchester to raise funds for the Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation.
The charity was set up after Moorhouse’s partner, Gaynor Thompson, gave birth to stillborn, Kallipateira, at 38 weeks in October 2018.
The couple suffered more heartache less than a year later when Thompson suffered a miscarriage and the foundation was set up to help parents through the loss of a baby.
Moorhouse’s latest fundraiser saw him walk from the Tommy’s Research Centre at St Thomas’s Hospital in London to the Tommy’s Rainbow Clinic and Research Centre at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester.
He was supported on the walk by Bristol Street Motors Halifax Nissan, which generously donated a brand new Nissan Qashqai to be a support vehicle.
The blue SUV followed Moorhouse across the route, which he completed in 55 hours, raising over £5,000.
We are proud to share with you our support vehicle for @BenMoorhouse_ 180 mile nonstop London to Manchester Extreme Challenge Walk! A huge thank you to Bristol Street Motors Halifax for your support !
Please donate & RT ! https://t.co/QB7nQmIMQG@MCR_SB_Research @MFH_Research pic.twitter.com/N7kgVBmzkH— The Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation (@kmfoundation26) July 14, 2022
Moorhouse said: ‘Dads are sadly forgotten about by most of society when it comes to the death of a baby. Not a day goes by where I don’t cry for my daughter. Everyone grieves differently and I channel my grief and pain by taking on extreme challenge walks.
‘If I didn’t do what I do for my daughter and to help others in the process, it would have been so easy to go down a different path. Every step I make is through the love of my daughter Kallipateira.
‘Many stillbirths in the UK are preventable and by supporting research, we can help save may babies’ lives. People have done this walk before over a week or so, with hotel stops along the way. I decided to do this in one go, with no sleep, so it was challenging for me and my support team.
‘In recent months, we have all seen upsetting news reported on deaths of babies, many of which could have been prevented, and more recently the sad news of well-known celebrities experiencing the death of a baby.
‘I would like to ask the media and public to please support me in my quest to raise as much as possible to help save babies’ lives nationally.
‘A special thanks to Bristol Street Motors Halifax Nissan, for the support vehicle.’
Jamie Priestley, general manager at Bristol Street Motors Halifax Nissan, said: ‘We have helped Ben and Gaynor with a support vehicle previously, when he undertook a coast to coast walk from Morecambe to Bridlington.
‘We were delighted to get involved again, as they are very near neighbours to the dealership, and it is such a fantastic charity.
‘Many congratulations to Ben and his team on completing this latest UK Extreme Challenge!’
