Hospice supporters set their alarm clocks early last week and hoped for clear skies as they walked the Worcestershire Way for St Richard’s Hospice.
More than 130 walkers set off from Bewdley at dawn on Friday 17th June to take part in a challenge to walk the whole of the Worcestershire Way in a day to support hospice care.
The walkers began at 6am in Bewdley and trekked across wonderful Worcestershire countryside before reaching the first refreshment stop at Abberley Hall school. There, the Abberley Clockwatchers WI had laid on a nourishing array of cakes for the hungry walkers. Next stop was lunch courtesy of The Talbot at Knightwick before a tough finish on the slopes of the Malvern Hills.
The teams and individual walkers who completed the challenging 31-mile dawn ‘til dusk trek were fortunate that, after a very wet week, the rain mostly held off. Teams of hospice volunteers were on hand to support the walkers on their challenging walk, providing much appreciated refreshments, directions and massages to soothe sore muscles.
Alison Parkes, Senior Fundraiser at St Richard’s Hospice, said; “It was a great event with team spirit and camaraderie amongst the walkers taking part. This year, the going was quite muddy after a week of heavy rain, and this added to the challenge. We are delighted that this year more walkers than ever joined in to put themselves to the test and are very grateful to them for raising funds to help continue to care for patients at the end of their lives, and support their families. We anticipate that this year walkers will have raised in the region of £20,000 towards our care which is a fantastic amount.”
She added; “Many people took on this challenge in memory of someone special, as a way of saying thank you for the hospice care they received. But often at the end of the walk they realise that they have achieved something fantastic for themselves too.”
The event is kindly sponsored by Carisson Properties Ltd.
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,600 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.