Trekking in memory of a much-loved colleague

Skyler Moulder, Anna Webb, Georgie McMahon, Lauren Roberts and Debs Thain, a team of nurses from The Leys School, are taking part in EAAA’s Trek 24 – Bedfordshire on June 7 in memory of their colleague, Graham Chapman, who was attended by the charity’s Anglia Two (Cambridge) crew following a cardiac arrest at the school in March 2025.

Lauren and Anna, and their colleague Anne, were part of the first response from Leys School staff and, while the outcome wasn’t as they had hoped, they were so impressed with the care and response from EAAA that they were moved to show their support by signing up a team for Trek 24 – Bedfordshire, one of the charity’s flagship fundraising events. The event challenges participants to walk 24-miles or 24km at the event, which passes through the stunning countryside of the Chilterns.

Anna, described by her fellow team members as “the driving force” behind their challenge, says, “We wanted to honour Graham and show our appreciation to EAAA by channelling our emotions into something positive to drive change. It was a tragic incident which has touched our entire school community and affected us as a team – but EAAA left such a positive imprint on us.”

Anna continues, “We saw EAAA’s Trek 24 – Bedfordshire event advertised, and thought taking part in the 24km route would be a good way to remember Graham, fundraise and help somebody else in the process. It’s a really nice thing to be able to do as a team.”

EAAA is a charity which provides 24/7 critical care to seriously injured and unwell people across the region. We rely almost entirely on kind donations and fundraising to give people experiencing life-threatening medical emergencies across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, the best possible chance of survival and recovery.

The team are also full of praise for the support they have received since the day of the incident from EAAA’s Aftercare team. The service, which connected with 472 people in 2024, provides practical and emotional support in the turbulent aftermath of a medical emergency attended by EAAA crews.

Lauren says, “The EAAA Aftercare team understood the personal side. We’re a medical team, but Graham was a much-loved colleague. Their support made us feel that we had permission to find it traumatic and that our feelings were valid.”

The team’s fundraising has been really well supported by friends, family and other members of staff from The Leys School. They have collectively raised over £1,700 so far. The team are expecting the event itself to be an emotional, reflective and “cathartic” experience, and have been taking part in training walks in preparation for the day itself.

Lauren adds, “EAAA wouldn’t exist without public donations, so it’s really humbling that we can contribute by taking part in Trek 24.”

Skyler adds, “It’s so important to have EAAA by the sides of people who need them.”

Dr Nicola Ebbs, EAAA Deputy Medical Director, says, “EAAA now treats an average of six people in our region every day. We couldn’t do this without the generous support from people in the communities we are proud to serve. We’re so grateful to the team from The Leys School and all those taking part in Trek 24 – Bedfordshire. This kind support really will help to save lives in our region.”