Bourne mum Heidi to handle hot firewalk as tribute to late friend Charlotte

A former charity worker from Bourne with incurable breast cancer is to walk over hot coals for charity next week in memory of her friend.

Mother-of-two Heidi Rock (36), of Saffron Walk, will put her own condition to one side as she takes on a fire walking experience at a village pub near Peterborough on Wednesday, September 6.

You get quite close to your colleagues and Charlotte was the sort of person who would support any friend, wherever it was needed

Heidi lost her friend Charlotte Johnson (45), a motherof-three from Werrington, near Peterborough, who passed away suddenly after a stroke on July 29 and her funeral took place at Peterborough Crematorium.

Speaking about Charlotte, Heidi said: “She was one of my best friends after working together in social services for eight or nine years.

“You get quite close to your colleagues and Charlotte was the sort of person who would support any friend, wherever it was needed.

“Her passing was totally unexpected because she had no health problems, did fitness classes and boxed three times a week, so she was very active.

“You wouldn’t have looked at her and thought ‘something is going to happen to Charlotte’ because she was a vibrant, healthy person who looked after herself.”

Heidi, who organised a Party on the Pitch with her husband Jason at Bourne Rugby Club three weeks ago “to celebrate more tomorrows” had her own health scare at the start of 2017 when family and friends thought that she might die.

But after an improvmement in her mobility, Heidi is to join a group of at least seven people for the fire walk in raising money for Global’s Make Some Noise, a national charity linked to eight radio stations, including Classic FM and Heart.

Heidi said: “After Charlotte’s funeral, I wanted to do something because she had supported my Team Heidi fundraising for cancer treatment.

“I wanted to push my feelings of grief into doing a sponsored event and I asked my husband if he would support me.

“Then the fire walking experience came up as I was looking online for something to do and it seemed to fit perfectly with me because I could do it indepently.

“Also, some of the charities supported by Global’s Make Some Noise aligned with what Charlotte stood for in her life.”

Family and friends of Heidi’s have been encouraged to go online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/char2017 in the hope of raising as much money as possible in tribute to Charlotte.

Heidi said: “I put it out to some friends to see if they would join in because Charlotte was the sort of person who would walk over hot coals for them.

“This is just meant to be and some of Charlotte’s family are doing it as well because she was a supporter of charities in general.

“A fire walking experience is the most fitting way that I can think of to honour a friend who passed away too early for our hearts to cope with.”

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