Midnight Memory Walk raises £100,000 for Kirkwood Hospice

Jun 22 2009 by Mel Booth, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A SEA of lime green walkers marched around Huddersfield to raise funds for Kirkwood Hospice.

More than a thousand people turned out for the third annual Midnight Memory Walk and raised a record total of more than £100,000 for the Dalton hospice.

Walkers, plus several pushchairs and a few four-legged friends, flocked to the Galpharm Stadium at 10pm on Saturday to begin warming up for their after-hours fundraising bid.

The fundraisers enjoyed a pre-walk ‘Glo show’ and a spectacular fire show and hundreds of walkers took part in an official warm up routine with Rosemary Conley-trained fitness instructor Karen Porter.

Many walkers also took the chance to get their faces painted and enjoy the music.

As the clock struck midnight, hospice mascot Duncan the Dragon cut the yellow ribbon and the walkers young and old hit the streets to begin the 10-mile-circuit through Mirfield to Fenay Bridge and back.

Jane Dutton, the event organiser, said the walk had been a fantastic success and everyone was back at the stadium within four hours.

She said: “The Midnight Memory Walk has now become a firm date in many people’s diaries with growing numbers each year.

“This is a wonderful event with a unique atmosphere as every participant is walking in memory of a loved one.

“There is much laughter and a few tears as walkers tell us why they are walking and this makes it an unforgettable night.