Walkers out in force to raise money for St Mary's

Hospice nurse Julie Wright completed her third Walk to Remember after signing up for the first with her mum three years ago. Sadly she lost her beloved mum Thelma Gardiner before they could take part. She and her sisters walk in her memory, like so many of the 600 plus women taking part who dedicated their efforts to the special person written on their walk number.

Because the St Mary's Hospice Walk to Remember is a poignant occasion everybody is very supportive of each other. It's also a fantastic fundraiser for St Mary's Hospice, which costs £2 million a year to run, funded by the generosity of the community. The walk raised £40,000 last year, but with more participants this year, we hope that total will be eclipsed.

There was a real buzz as everybody converged in Asda car park just before 10pm. Even in the failing light the overriding pink theme was unmistakable - pink T-shirts, pink fairy wings and wands, pink cowboy hats and pink bunny ears. As part of their goodie bags all participants received glow sticks to illuminate them along the 11km route around Barrow.

Mrs Wright is still nursing blisters from last weeks Keswick to Barrow walk but the camaraderie kept her going. As well as being a personal challenge, having worked for the Hospice since it opened in 1989, Mrs Wright has seen first hand how vital it is for the local community.

"It's a very special place," says Mrs Wright, from Leece. "I think anybody who's had connections with the hospice would find it a calm, relaxed, welcoming and supportive environment. My own mum ended up dying in there so I have personal experience of the hospice and what it offers to patients. All the money goes to supporting the services the hospice provides - running an in-patient unit, day services and the Hospice at Home service, where the nurses go into the community to support people who choose to be in their own home in those last days. "

The Walk to Remember is a women-only event but a number of men, like Mrs Wright's husband and dad, support the fundraiser as marshals. Fundraising and Volunteer Manager for the Hospice, Zoe Guest said: "I want to thank all the ladies who have taken part and all the volunteers who have helped us, also Asda Barrow for all their support and Diane Singleton for the warm up, and especially Bob Clegg who does all the risk assessments for the walk and advises me where to place the marshals. We've had more ladies than ever walking this year - around 620. The biggest team effort was from James Fisher and Sons and BAE Systems have supported us with first aiders."