East Lancashire Hospice Starlight Walk raises £75,000 (From This Is Lancashire)

East Lancashire Hospice Starlight Walk raises £75,000

6:37pm Sunday 1st July 2012 in News By Tyrone Marshall, Reporter

THE East Lancashire Hospice Starlight Walk was hailed as 'the best one yet' by organisers.

Around 700 women donned pink costumes as they walked eight miles around the streets of Blackburn, raising over £75,000.

Women of all ages and abilities joined together to raise money for East Lancashire Hospice to provide a specialist supportive and end of life care to the people of Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

The ladies-only sponsored walk started at 10pm last night from the Soccerdome at Guide and finished at around 1.30am this morning.

Denise Gee, event organiser, said: “It was the best one yet, it was an amazing night.

"Everybody had a fantastic time and there were some amazing people coming out to remember loved ones, support the hospice and raise money.

“These funds are crucial to the hospice but it is also the community coming out and raising funds for their community hospice, which is a fantastic sight and feeling.

“That engagement with the community is great and it is wonderful to see so many people supporting the hospice.

“There was a great atmosphere on the walk, everybody was cheering and singing as they went round and people came on the street to cheer and wave people on, it really was an amazing sight.”

The hospice, which costs around £2.8million to run each year, is funded largely by donations.

Walkers also managed to stay dry for the event as they beat the weather.

Denise added: “I think somebody was smiling down on us as it didn’t rain a drop, it had rained in the afternoon when we were setting up but while the walk was going on it was dry.”

A picture special will appear in tomorrow's Lancashire Telegraph.