Shrewsbury midnight walkers put best feet forward for charity

Hundreds of women donned their brightest 80s clothing to take part in the walk in support of Severn Hospice.

Around 400 people took part to help people across the region who are living with incurable illnesses like cancer.

The event was held at Shrewsbury Sports Village and organisers say they are delighted to have raised so much.

Dan Myatt, fundraising officer at Severn Hospice, said: "It was a fantastic night. We were thrilled with the number of people who joined us. Everyone had a brilliant night.

"We would like to thank everyone who took part on the night, and the fantastic volunteers who worked so hard to keep them safe. Everyone from the pace setter through to the warm up instructor gave their time for free and we are so grateful to them all.

"We were lucky enough to have the support of some wonderful local organisations. We would particularly like to thank Shrewsbury Sports Village for hosting the walk and Raynet for providing communication support. I would also like to thank The Beaten Track pub for their support and Wenlock Spring for donating hundreds of bottles of water.

"We rely on fundraising events like the Midnight Walk for a significant proportion of our income and it is tremendous to see the community pulling together to create such a wonderful night. Early indications show that this year's walk in Shrewsbury has raised £30,000, which is fantastic.

"Yet again we were lucky with the weather once again and the rain held off as hundreds of walkers; many dressed in their 1980's finest, took to the streets of Shrewsbury. We were all completely impressed by the effort that people had gone to with their outfits and congratulations to our fancy dress individual winner who was dressed as Madonna and also to our fancy dress group winners 'The Thigh Rubbers' who were all dressed as Rubik Cubes.

Also among those taking part were staff members at Station House Dental Practice from Oakengates in Telford.

"We have so far managed to raise just over £1,000 which has delighted us greatly," said dental nurse Leanne Denning.

"We had the team name of 'Station House Smilers' and had team T-shirts printed. The walk was six miles and started at midnight, it took us all around Shrewsbury including through the town centre. We would like to thank everyone who sponsored us including our lovely patients who also donated at collection pots in the practice."

For more information about Severn Hospice's fundraising events, including their upcoming Fire Walk which takes place on Friday September 26 at Albrighton Hall Hotel, visit www.severnhospice.org.uk or call the Appeals team on 01952 221351.