Woman wears different hat everyday for three years for charity
- 3 months ago
A woman has fundraised by wearing a different hat everyday for three years - more than 1,000 so far.
Hilary Fleming, 62, has raised over £3,200 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance - a charity that saved her husband's life twice after he fell off a ladder both times.
The retired NHS podiatrist from Swindon wears her unique hats whilst exercising - which she calls 'hat-ercise'.
So far she has worn 1,110.
Hilary said: "I've gone out with some crazy things on my head!
"It's a bit of a laugh really - but it's to raise awareness and money for Wiltshire ambulance.
"There are days when its cold and its wet and sometimes people think I'm weird.
"But the sillier the hat, the more attention it gets - and it's a conversation starter!"
Hilary gives away a lot of the hats she wore to charity but over the years said she has collected 11 large boxes of them at home.
Hilary says the charity helped her decorator husband on two occasions - one when she came home from work one day in 2013 to her neighbour informing her Shaun was in hospital, as he had fallen.
She said: "He had broken his neck and his arm, and his back in three places."
Mr Fleming was flown by air ambulance to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol and he had to undergo an operation at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
Hilary said: "He was in hospital for a fortnight and had to keep a neck brace on afterwards.
"After an x-ray we found out his neck was impinging on his spinal chord and they had to conduct surgery in an an eight hour operation - which he made a remarkable recovery from."
Around 14 months later, Hilary says Shaun "waited until she left the house" to put up a step ladder in their garden to trim down a tree.
Shaun fell shortly after - breaking his skull, two shoulders and a hip - and Air Ambulance Wiltshire were on the way to help again.
Hilary said: "It was like ER at my garden!
"The helicopter landed just down the road - it's like a hospital coming to you!"
Luckily Shaun had no internal injuries again, and has since went on to run a half marathon, the London marathon and Edinburgh Marathon.
Whilst Hilary was caring over lockdown, she decided on Jan 1 2021 to go for a long walk everyday.
But she said it was day eight that the idea came to her she could wear a different hat whilst doing exercising - whether that be swimming, golfing, walking, paddle boarding - "to make it a bit more interesting".
Hilary said: "I burrowed, then bought hats - wooly hats, ascot hats, swim hats, fireman's hat, dartboard, ice-cream hat - any hat you could think of!
"One of my favourites is the one of grapes, and someone knitted one for me that looks like a helicopter.
"It's just about having a bit of fun.
"In lockdown everyone was sad and traumatised - so it's nice to have something light and something to laugh at.
Hilary Fleming, 62, has raised over £3,200 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance - a charity that saved her husband's life twice after he fell off a ladder both times.
The retired NHS podiatrist from Swindon wears her unique hats whilst exercising - which she calls 'hat-ercise'.
So far she has worn 1,110.
Hilary said: "I've gone out with some crazy things on my head!
"It's a bit of a laugh really - but it's to raise awareness and money for Wiltshire ambulance.
"There are days when its cold and its wet and sometimes people think I'm weird.
"But the sillier the hat, the more attention it gets - and it's a conversation starter!"
Hilary gives away a lot of the hats she wore to charity but over the years said she has collected 11 large boxes of them at home.
Hilary says the charity helped her decorator husband on two occasions - one when she came home from work one day in 2013 to her neighbour informing her Shaun was in hospital, as he had fallen.
She said: "He had broken his neck and his arm, and his back in three places."
Mr Fleming was flown by air ambulance to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol and he had to undergo an operation at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
Hilary said: "He was in hospital for a fortnight and had to keep a neck brace on afterwards.
"After an x-ray we found out his neck was impinging on his spinal chord and they had to conduct surgery in an an eight hour operation - which he made a remarkable recovery from."
Around 14 months later, Hilary says Shaun "waited until she left the house" to put up a step ladder in their garden to trim down a tree.
Shaun fell shortly after - breaking his skull, two shoulders and a hip - and Air Ambulance Wiltshire were on the way to help again.
Hilary said: "It was like ER at my garden!
"The helicopter landed just down the road - it's like a hospital coming to you!"
Luckily Shaun had no internal injuries again, and has since went on to run a half marathon, the London marathon and Edinburgh Marathon.
Whilst Hilary was caring over lockdown, she decided on Jan 1 2021 to go for a long walk everyday.
But she said it was day eight that the idea came to her she could wear a different hat whilst doing exercising - whether that be swimming, golfing, walking, paddle boarding - "to make it a bit more interesting".
Hilary said: "I burrowed, then bought hats - wooly hats, ascot hats, swim hats, fireman's hat, dartboard, ice-cream hat - any hat you could think of!
"One of my favourites is the one of grapes, and someone knitted one for me that looks like a helicopter.
"It's just about having a bit of fun.
"In lockdown everyone was sad and traumatised - so it's nice to have something light and something to laugh at.