St Nicholas Hospice Care’s first Sunset Walk in Bury St Edmunds raises £117,715

More than 1,000 walkers put their best foot forward in an inaugural event to amass £117,715 for St Nicholas Hospice Care.

The charity’s first Sunset Walk, on June 22, saw fund-raisers take on a 10K or 15K route around Bury St Edmunds, starting and finishing in the Abbey Gardens.

Sponsored by Greene King, the event featured musical acts and performers who lined the routes and and, at the Hardwick Lane hospice, walkers placed paper lanterns in remembrance of those they missed.

Charlie De-Moore, the hospice’s events manager, said the amount raised will make a massive difference to the charity’s work across West Suffolk and Thetford.

She said: “We already thought the Sunset Walk was an amazing occasion, and to have raised so much really is the icing on the cake.

“On behalf of everyone at St Nic’s, I would like to thank all those who supported the walk: our fantastic walkers, who literally made sure every step counted; our terrific volunteers and marshals for giving their time to ensure the event ran smoothly and that our walkers were safe on the routes.

“A big thank you also to our main sponsors, Greene King, for their generosity.”

Following its success, the hospice has announced the event will return next year on June 21.

Charlie said: “We are delighted to announce that the Sunset Walk will be returning, and we look forward to welcoming walkers once more. Please mark the date in your calendar and join us.

“We look forward to sharing further news when we can.”

It costs St Nicholas Hospice Care about £22,000 a day to provide all its services, and although the charity receives some statutory funding, this only covers around 20 per cent of its costs.

Visit www.stnicholashospice.org.uk