An annual charity walking event which took on a new twist this summer, because of social distancing measures, has been hailed a huge success after it raised more than £18,000 in much-needed funds for a Worcestershire-based hospice.
The St Richard’s Hospice Malvern Hills Walk, which has run every year since the hospice launched in 1984, took place during July and August instead of as a mass participation one-day event this year. Allowing supporters to choose a date and time to take part to suit them, more than 230 people registered for the event.
Jayne Sargeant, hospice fundraiser, said: “We’ve been blown away by everyone’s response to us changing up an event which has been much-loved for 36 years. We know lots of our regular supporters appreciate the camaraderie of a mass participation event but that didn’t stop them donning their walking boots for us once again this year.
“It’s also been wonderful to welcome new walkers, who haven’t supported the hospice before but wanted to help with times being so tough for charities like us. It’s that incredible goodwill that saw more than £18,000 raised – and we cannot thank everyone enough as we continue to provide free care to patients and their loved ones across the county.”
Ms Sargeant also thanked event sponsors Speller Metcalfe and event supporters the Malvern Hills Trust and Bamboo Clothing.
Speaking about its sponsorship of the much-loved event, Bill Cave, operations director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “We have undertaken many construction projects with St Richard’s over the years and we were absolutely delighted to sponsor this event this year, particularly in light of the challenges that Covid-19 has created for charities like the hospice. It’s fantastic that so many people continued to take part in the event and so much has been raised despite what 2020 has thrown at us all.”
The Autumn sees St Richard’s working hard to close the funding gap with events cancelled and charity shops closed for some time. To find out more about our fundraising events – some of which you can join in from home – visit: https://www.strichards.org.uk/events/