SATURDAY’S Midnight Memories Walk in aid of Bolton Hospice showed the town at its very best.

Hundreds came together to support a charity that has a special place in people’s hearts.

The experience of losing someone to a terminal illness is heartbreaking.

However much the well-meaning may sympathise, and despite the help they give, until you’ve experienced it yourself it is impossible to fully understand what it’s like.

It’s an example of how the Midnight Memories Walk can help in the healing process. Everyone there had lost someone they loved to illness. It means there was a kind of shorthand emotional grief. Everyone ‘gets it’ and because of that there is instant comradeship.

Nothing you can do will bring loved ones back, but walking for them, thinking about them, talking about them is a way of turning the tables on that sense of powerlessness.

And let's not forget the huge sense of fun and excitement the occasion brings.

The annual eight-mile walk is the jewel in the crown of Bolton Hospice’s yearly fundraising efforts through the year. But, in another example of how tireless the hospice’s fundraising team are in their efforts, today sees the promotional launch of its Bubble Rush 5k fun run.

It does not take place until September 8, but you can sign up for what promises to be a fun-packed event for the entire family.