An Okehampton Specsavers director has braved the heat and raised £600 for Hospiscare in a fundraising firewalk in memory of her father.

Kathryn Reynolds walked barefoot across coals heated to around 482C (900F) to commemorate her father, Steve Morris, who passed away in 2024 after he suffered an aortic dissection.

Kathryn wanted to raise money for Hospiscare, which looked after him when he left the hospital, still in a coma. In his youth, Steve took part in carrying burning tar barrels through the streets each year in Ottery St Mary, East Devon, so Kathryn felt a firewalk would be a fitting way to honour him.

She said: “It was a weird sensation. I was nervous before, but I really enjoyed doing it. There was a real togetherness between everyone who was doing it. Everyone supported each other. It was really positive, and I’m proud to have done it.”

Kathryn was among 80 people taking part in the firewalk, which raised £20,000 for Hospiscare.

Hospiscare cares for close to 2,200 people living with terminal illness across Exeter, central and east Devon, including the Okehampton area, but receives just 24 per cent of its funding from the government. The charity relies on members of the public to donate the rest of the £10 million it needs each year to keep running.

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