A MAN who lost his wife to cancer is paying tribute to her with a fundraising climb up Snowdon on their wedding anniversary.

Ricky Moore will attempt the challenge on May 17 in memory of his wife Gemma who passed away at Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice last year.

He said:“I wanted to do something really special to mark the occasion and also raise some much needed funds for the hospice that took such amazing care of her in the final ten weeks of her life.

“So, on our wedding anniversary I will be hiking to the top of Mount Snowdon in Wales. Just two years ago Gemma along with her two best friends did this very hike so I thought it would be a great tribute to Gem on our special day to do the same challenge.

“And even though I have an army of friends who would do this with me I have decided to do the challenge alone. The reason for this is that I want to show anyone else out there whose lives have been shattered by losing the person that they love, that we have to be strong enough to face this world alone, to keep on going and never give up because that is what our loved ones would want.”

Gemma and Ricky Moore had been together for nearly 16 years but never found the time to plan a wedding. So, when Gemma was admitted to Wheatfields Hospice with terminal cancer at the height of the first lockdown, hospice staff pulled out all the stops to help them tie the knot.

Ricky, who owns 1-RM gym, said: “We got engaged on Gemma’s 30th birthday in 2011 and had just never got round to organising a wedding but Wheatfields turned it around in two days. They organised a priest, they set up a special room for us, they decorated, and they got a cake. One lady called Vicky even came in on her day off to do Gem’s hair and makeup. She looked amazing. I can’t thank them enough for what they did for us that week. Gem’s parents came and my friend attended as my best man, and Gem’s brother and his wife watched through the window. That’s all we needed. We couldn’t have had a better day under the circumstances and that’s all down to Wheatfields.’

Gemma was first admitted to Wheatfields in February 2020 for pain management and after two weeks was able to return home. “Wheatfields did an amazing job. They really looked after her and got her pain under control. She was able to stay at home all through March and April. The lockdown had started by then so I didn’t have to work and it meant I could put all my focus on looking after Gemma and spending as much time with her as possible.

“We also had a Sue Ryder nurse who was really nice. She said there is a bed at Wheatfields ready for you whenever you feel it’s too much at home. At the end of April Gemma had made the decision to stop the chemo and then she went downhill really fast. By the start of May she was losing the use of her limbs. Gem stayed at home as long as possible but it got to the point where home care wasn’t enough and we had to make the really tough decision for her to go to Wheatfields.”

Gemma died on July 22 last year, 10 weeks after she was admitted to the hospice. She was 39. Ricky and the couple’s family and friends have since raised an incredible £30,000 for the hospice.

Ricky added: “I can’t thank Wheatfields enough for the amazing care – it really was another level. There was such humanity, they really genuinely care about each individual as a person and they couldn’t have done any more for us. In every aspect they went over and above and they made a horrible time as good as it could be for us. I know Wheatfields really needs that support with fundraising at the moment so in honour of Gem I’m going to do a fundraising event for Wheatfields every single year now.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ricky-moore8 to support Ricky.