HEALTHCARE staff at a Barnsley care service have raised over £1,000 in memory of a colleague who “enhanced and uplifted” the lives of everyone around him.
Dan Woodhead, who died last year, aged 44, was a support worker at Cygnet Pindar House, on Upper Sheffield Road.
Nine staff at Cygnet completed a four-hour hike of Kinder Scout, in Derbyshire, which raised £1,070 in his memory.
Describing Dan, Nathan Whorton, a Senior Support Worker, said: “Dan was more than just a colleague, he was a friend who put everyone first before himself.
“He was always ready to lend a hand in any job that needed doing, big or small. I first met Dan five years ago at a hospital for adults with learning disabilities where his natural ability to uplift and enhance people’s lives shone through, this was evident in the presentation of the people he looked after and the staff team around him.
“Away from work, Dan was a rock to anybody struggling and was always there to listen and help the best he could. I cannot sum up the amount of joy and laughter he spread with a few short words in tribute.
“The news of Dan’s passing at just 44 years old was devastating to myself and everyone who knew him, worked with him and loved him.
“The motivation behind the fundraising event was to firstly raise awareness of men’s mental health.
“Dan left behind a wife and three children so secondly the money raised made the heart-breaking task of funeral arrangements just a fraction easier for the family.”
Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau and National Nature Reserve in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 metres (2,087 ft) above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands.
Cygnet Pindar House, on Upper Sheffield Road in Barnsley, is a 22-bed neuropsychiatric rehabilitation facility for men affected by acquired brain injuries. It is part of the Cygnet Health Care division.
