The annual Hike for Hospice typically see's many across Southern Alberta walking, hiking or running their 5k in support of the Foothills Country Hospice.

But in it's 5th year the Hike for Hospice has made an impression overseas.

The Baker family, who are participating in the Hike for Hospice for the first time, sadly lost their mother Jackie back in 2014.

But Ellen and Rachel Baker, Jackie's daughters, say thanks to the local hospice they were able to spend their final weeks together as a family.

"We basically lived there for six weeks, and our brother (Doug) and sister (Kirsty) came over from England...and then they were there in the hospice too. So we were all there for a long time and obviously an incredibly sad time but we had such a lovely, warm experience in the hospice. The nurses treated us like family, they had a wicked sense of humor, they put pictures up and decorated, we really bonded and it really felt like home."

To honor their late mother, not only did they enter a team made up of family and friends to raise funds for the hospice, their brother Doug, back in the UK, took the 5k challenge to the next level to do his part.

Doug Baker, a sports teacher in Somerset, says he thought 100km's in one week would fuel the donations.

"I wanted people to connect with the Foothills Hospice and obviously I got that personal connection with it and I witnessed the amazing staff and how phenomenal they were but to be in England and make that connection is always going to be quite hard. To tell them, hey guys you want to sponsor me to 5k? I didn't think it would have the same gravitas if they didn't know what the hospice was. So I tried to think of something that would push me and push people to donate all the way across the ocean."

This would be a challenge for anyone but Ellen says with all of her brothers responsibilities this is a huge feat.

"It is a challenge, because Doug teaches in a boarding school he looks after, 24/7, loads of children. He also has three children including a newborn baby so he is challenging himself."

Doug adds, "I think that shows the impact the Hospice had on our family...I 100% back up what my sisters said, the feeling of family, you felt welcomed straight away...I look at it as quite a fond memory which is bizarre, obviously it was a quite hard time but the staff were just incredible."

Between Ellen and Rachel who reside here in the Foothills and Doug and their other sister, Kirsty, who reside in the UK, the families team has surpassed their original goal of $1,000 and have raised $4,317 so far.

But Baker surprised his sisters with the exciting news of more funds to come.

"We, our little school Queens College, they're going to get behind this fundraiser and our Summer Fete, all of the money raised is going to go to the Foothills."

With a final fundraiser goal of $50,000 for the hospice, the family thinks it's paramount to support a place that supported them through hard times.

Rachel says it's so important to give back to the place that oddly created many happy memories in an incredibly sad time.

"It's just such a unique part of the community, where these unique nurses take care of incredible people from the community and it does have funding but the extra steps they do to make you feel at home and make your last days so memorable do take money and fundraisers like this do really make a difference."

Doug adds, "I also think you know there's no getting around end of life care and end of life experience is pretty emotional and can be harrowing and horrendous and anywhere that can create any kind of happy moment, happy memory for me is worth saving and worth donating to...I think it's a cause that everyone should get behind."

Though the site says the campaign ends May 11th, Stephanie Barnes, Development & Communications Officer at the Hospice has mentioned that people can donate until May 23rd to the teams that participated in this year's event.

To help the local palliative and end of life care provider reach their goal click here to donate.