Three generations take on 115km trek of the Camino de Santiago trail for York charity

When Claudine’s friend Rachael was diagnosed with leukaemia, she was inspired to set herself a  challenge and make a difference for people living with cancer. Along with her seven-year-old son  Eeben and retired mother Matthea, the trio chose the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage as their  challenge, deciding to walk it over the Easter period whilst raising money for local charity, York  Against Cancer. 

The Camino de Santiago is one of the oldest pilgrimage routes in Europe, taking place from various start points in Spain, France and Portugal, and ending in Santiago. Claudine set her sights on completing the final leg of the trail between 2nd-7th April, starting in Sarria, Spain and finishing at Santiago de Compostela, some 115km away. 

Claudine met Rachael at her local church when she first moved to York in 2018, and from their first encounter they became good friends. During the pandemic, Rachael was sadly diagnosed with leukaemia, and the news came as a huge shock to everyone who knew her. Unfortunately, in  November 2022 Rachael was told she did not have long to live. 

Claudine said; “When Rachael told me the news I felt helpless. Watching my friend suffering so much and knowing there was nothing I could do to take away her suffering, I decided to embrace life. Rachael has made a huge difference in many people’s lives and continues to do so through her 
unconditional love for others and her selflessness towards people in need. She is our inspiration and has got us through each day.”  

York Against Cancer was the charity of choice as Claudine recently visited their brand new cancer support centre, The Leveson Centre, and was touched by how much the local charity does to help patients throughout their cancer diagnosis.  

Claudine added; “It has been such a privilege to raise money for people in York as I personally feel passionate about supporting local people.”

After 6 days of trekking and a few moments of ‘what are we doing’, the trio focused on the reason for starting this challenge in the first place and dug in and kept going. They crossed their 115km finish line having raised an impressive £700! This generous donation will help towards the ongoing services and research provided by York Against Cancer across the local community, and will go a long way in making other people’s cancer journey a little more comfortable. 

There’s still time to donate if you would like to, Claudine’s Just Giving page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/claudine-pelser-1679574258067