A SPONSORED walk to raise money for a St Asaph hospice is well on its way to meeting its £5,000 target after proving one of its most popular fundraiser events in years.

The 10km Dawn Walk was held on Saturday, September 4 in aid of St Kentigern Hospice, a charity providing care and support for patients with a life-limiting condition and their families.

The walk, which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, was the hospice’s first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic began 18 months ago.

Michaella Brannan, community and events fundraiser at St Kentigern, said: “It went really well. We had over 150 attendees, so it was our biggest in the last three years. It was nice to be able to host an event again; we haven’t had any major events since COVID.

“Before COVID, there used to be a lot more big events – we usually have an overseas challenge that happens every year as well. Then COVID hit and we had to change the strategy.

“It was a really positive atmosphere; we are all really looking to doing more of it and getting back out there in the community.

“We haven’t had all of our sponsorship forms in yet, but we’re at about the £4,000 mark at the moment. The target was £5,000, and we hope to reach that with getting our sponsorship forms in.”

Starting at St Asaph Cathedral, the walk took participants down along the River Elwy, towards Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd, before finishing back where they began to receive their post-walk bacon sandwich and medal.

A limited edition Dawn Walk tenth anniversary t-shirt was also designed by Nanw Hampson, a student whose family received care and support from the hospice after her grandfather was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Michaella hopes the hospice will now be able to organise more in-person events again, with the money raised an invaluable resource to the charity’s in-patient care.

She added: “We have 12 in-patient beds and also offer bereavement council and day therapy, and it (money raised) just supports the patients that come to us and their families.

“We only get under 20 per cent through government funding, so the rest of it has to be made up by fundraising.

“The hospice costs £1.9 million a year, so a lot of the money goes towards the in-patient care. We couldn’t offer the services, and help the families that we do, without the fundraising.

“Because it was our first event since COVID, it raised awareness and let people know we are still operating.

“We operated through the entire COVID pandemic; we still helped about 130 patients and their families, which alleviated the (workload of the) NHS as well.”

To find out more about St Kentigern’s work, visit their website at: www.stkentigernhospice.org.uk.