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| Ross Coniam: #NineForNorah dad's walk to daughter's grave | Ross Coniam: #NineForNorah dad's walk to daughter's grave |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A bereaved father whose fundraising appeal soared after a tweet went viral has completed an "emotional journey" to his daughter's grave. | A bereaved father whose fundraising appeal soared after a tweet went viral has completed an "emotional journey" to his daughter's grave. |
| Ross Coniam has set himself nine challenges in memory of daughter Norah, who lived for nine hours in May 2018. | Ross Coniam has set himself nine challenges in memory of daughter Norah, who lived for nine hours in May 2018. |
| On Saturday, he reached Hertfordshire, after walking 136 miles (219km) from Gloucestershire in six days, raising the fund's total to £51,000 for 2019. | |
| The #Nine4Norah appeal was tweeted by TV presenter Jake Humphrey in April. | |
| "Never in a million years did I think I'd raise this much," said Mr Coniam, who had a target of £6,000 to support stillborn and neo-natal charities. | "Never in a million years did I think I'd raise this much," said Mr Coniam, who had a target of £6,000 to support stillborn and neo-natal charities. |
| 'Kindness of strangers' | 'Kindness of strangers' |
| Mr Coniam set off from Cirencester with his former school teacher Bob Ford and was supported by friends en route to Chorleywood. | |
| He said he was "inspired by the kindness of strangers", with a donation coming in from dog walkers, and was surprised by other bereaved dads when they joined him on the final day. | He said he was "inspired by the kindness of strangers", with a donation coming in from dog walkers, and was surprised by other bereaved dads when they joined him on the final day. |
| Friends and family, including his wife Naomi, who is seven months pregnant, met him at journey's end. | Friends and family, including his wife Naomi, who is seven months pregnant, met him at journey's end. |
| He described their welcome as "a lovely way to end a tough week". | He described their welcome as "a lovely way to end a tough week". |
| "We've had a lot of challenges this year but this was perhaps the most personal to me," he said. | "We've had a lot of challenges this year but this was perhaps the most personal to me," he said. |
| "It meant a lot to finish it at the cemetery, to see Norah's grave. | "It meant a lot to finish it at the cemetery, to see Norah's grave. |
| "She will always be part of our family. She's changed our lives." | "She will always be part of our family. She's changed our lives." |
| Next month Mr Coniam is climbing the national three peaks in 24 hours (Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike) and faces the Great North Run on Tyneside in September. | |
| He said the ninth and final challenge will be an 18-mile (29km) walk from the Thames Valley to Putney later this year, in which he hopes to be joined by his wife and new baby. | He said the ninth and final challenge will be an 18-mile (29km) walk from the Thames Valley to Putney later this year, in which he hopes to be joined by his wife and new baby. |
| The Watford FC fan had raised £3,058 when Humphrey spotted his #Nine4Norah hoodie in the crowd at the FA Cup semi-final. | The Watford FC fan had raised £3,058 when Humphrey spotted his #Nine4Norah hoodie in the crowd at the FA Cup semi-final. |
| He shared the fundraising page to his 900,000 Twitter followers during the match, with the appeal reaching £12,000 by the following morning. | He shared the fundraising page to his 900,000 Twitter followers during the match, with the appeal reaching £12,000 by the following morning. |