Published on: Monday 23 Sep 2019 at 00:30
More than 260 local people turned out to support St Clare Hospice on Sunday 15th September 2019 by taking part in the charity’s inaugural Walking in Memory event.
Starting from the Hospice at 11am, the 5k walk wound through the local Hastingwood countryside (courtesy of Paris Hall Farm), taking hundreds of people on a thoughtful journey as they gathered to remember lost loved ones.
“Seeing so many people gather at St Clare to remember and celebrate the lives of family members, friends and loved ones was beautiful and touching,” reflects Sarah Thompson, Chief Executive at St Clare Hospice. “It just really brought home to us the importance of community, and supporting each other when facing loss and bereavement – and what an honour it is to be able to host an event like Walking in Memory for the people of West Essex and East Herts.”
One of the highlights of the day was the memorial display of “a sea of windmills, gently turning in the breeze,” remarks St Clare’s Events Fundraiser, Emma Broadbent, who organised Walking in Memory.
“It was such a poignant moment when the windmill display was complete – hundreds of windmills, each representing someone who is dearly missed, standing together around our Hospice pond,” Emma says. “Walking in Memory was a pleasure to organise, and we’ll be looking to host similar events each year as part of our mission to support local people facing death, dying and bereavement, in any way we can.”
However, Walking in Memory meant so much more than only the event itself – with participants’ tickets and sponsorship money totalling more than £10,000 in vital funding for the Hospice.
“We’d like to thank everyone who attended on Sunday for their support of St Clare Hospice – the money that we raised at Walking in Memory will be channelled directly into supporting local people at the end of life, and throughout bereavement, today and for years to come,” adds Emma.
Emma also added, “We hope that everyone enjoyed the event and took something away from Walking in Memory. We certainly did, knowing that we were able to host such a special event for our local communities.”
For more information about Walking in Memory, get in touch with our Events Fundraiser Emma Broadbent on 01279 773754 or email emma.broadbent@stclarehospice.org.uk
Photo Credit: Vikki Lince
