Published on: Monday 21 Sep 2020 at 13:43
Supporters Walk in Memory of loved ones
A total of 220 people took part in St Clare Hospice’s Walking in Memory 5k walk on Sunday (20 September) as the annual flagship sponsored fundraising event went ahead with covid-secure rules in place – raising around £8,000 for the hospice charity in vital funding.
As an organised charitable event at an outdoor venue the event was allowed to proceed in accordance with the recent Government guidance issued on 9 September. Detailed Covid-19 risk assessments were completed prior to deciding if the event could go ahead, and measures included (but were not limited to): three staggered start times, social distancing measures, staff monitoring of group sizes, no admission to the Hospice building, hand sanitiser stations and gathering of participant details for the Test and Trace process.
Starting from St Clare Hospice, the 5k route wound through the beautiful fields and footpaths of the local Hastingwood countryside, courtesy of Paris Hall Farm, taking participants on a thoughtful journey as they remembered lost loved ones.
Event Organiser, St Clare Challenges and Events Fundraiser Emma Broadbent, said: “It was a privilege to be able to put on this thoughtful remembrance event for the people of West Essex and East Herts. A number of families who joined us at the event were remembering family members and friends who had died during the past, very difficult, few months and who they had not had a chance to honour because of covid restrictions at their funerals.”
“It was such a poignant moment to see a sea of hundreds of windmills gently turning in the breeze – the memorial display in the Hospice gardens representing each of the people who are dearly missed. The event was needed this year, more than ever, to give families a chance to celebrate the lives of their lost loves ones, and sits at the heart of St Clare’s mission to support local people facing death, dying and bereavement, in any way that we can.”
However, Walking in Memory meant so much more than only the event itself – with participants’ tickets and sponsorship money totalling around £8,000 in vital funding for the Hospice.
“We’d like to thank everyone who attended, and volunteered, on Sunday for their support of St Clare Hospice – the money that we raised at Walking in Memory is needed this year more than ever as we tackle the impact that the coronavirus has had on our fundraising income. This funding will be channelled back into our care services supporting local people at the end of their life, and through bereavement,” adds Emma.
For more information Walking in Memory, please contact Emma Broadbent on 01279 773754 or emma.broadbent@stclarehospice.org.uk
