A woman has fundraised by wearing a different hat everyday for three years - more than 1,000 so far.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The retired NHS podiatrist from Swindon wears her unique hats whilst exercising - which she calls 'hat-ercise'.<br /><br />So far she has worn 1,110.<br /><br />Hilary said: "I've gone out with some crazy things on my head!<br /><br />"It's a bit of a laugh really - but it's to raise awareness and money for Wiltshire ambulance.<br /><br />"There are days when its cold and its wet and sometimes people think I'm weird.<br /><br />"But the sillier the hat, the more attention it gets - and it's a conversation starter!"<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />She said: "He had broken his neck and his arm, and his back in three places."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Hilary said: "He was in hospital for a fortnight and had to keep a neck brace on afterwards.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Shaun fell shortly after - breaking his skull, two shoulders and a hip - and Air Ambulance Wiltshire were on the way to help again.<br /><br />Hilary said: "It was like ER at my garden!<br /><br />"The helicopter landed just down the road - it's like a hospital coming to you!"<br /><br />Luckily Shaun had no internal injuries again, and has since went on to run a half marathon, the London marathon and Edinburgh Marathon.<br /><br />Whilst Hilary was caring over lockdown, she decided on Jan 1 2021 to go for a long walk everyday.<br /><br />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".<br /><br />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!<br /><br />"One of my favourites is the one of grapes, and someone knitted one for me that looks like a helicopter.<br /><br />"It's just about having a bit of fun.<br /><br />"In lockdown everyone was sad and traumatised - so it's nice to have something light and something to laugh at.
