Hundreds of people showed their support for City Hospice, Cardiff’s local hospice, over the course of one autumn weekend.
Over 300 people signed up to take part in the charity’s annual Sparkle Walk on 29 September.
Hosted by Smooth Radio presenter Jason Harrold, the walkers donned glitter and glowsticks at the nighttime event to sparkle along the 10km route from Insole Court, Llandaff to City Hospice, Whitchurch, and back. At the halfway point, the participants enjoyed refreshments at the hospice and took the time to tie a ribbon of remembrance in the memory garden.
Among the returning participants were Rebecca Bullen and her family who were taking part in their third Sparkle Walk to remember husband Carl, while the hospice’s fundraising and marketing director Amanda Fenton was joined by her friends, dubbed the ‘Sparkle Sisters’, to mark the fifth anniversary of her husband Mike’s passing.
First time participant Beth Sutton-Evans raised over £2,400 as she walked the route in memory of her husband Pete, and Kathryn Lock, accompanied by her dog Rosie, husband Chris and other members of her family, completed the event to thank the charity for the care provided to her dad Gareth and mother-in-law Ann.
Two days later, 70 runners took to the streets of the capital for City Hospice in the Cardiff Half Marathon. The team were among 27,500 people who completed the 13.1 mile race in its 20th anniversary year.
Among the participants cheered on by supporters and volunteers were Jessica Simmonds and Claire Partridge from Network Rail, the charity’s finance and commercial director Miranda McGinn and a team from Llanishen High School including headteacher Sarah Parry.
Mac Smith, Fundraising and Events Manager at City Hospice, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in the Sparkle Walk and Cardiff Half Marathon. It has been amazing to see hundreds of people in our community come together to support the important work that City Hospice does and enable us to continue to care for Cardiff in the future.
“Hearing the personal stories of remembrance and seeing the camaraderie between the walkers and runners as they encouraged each other around the respective routes has made the weekend even more special.”
If you would like to pre-register for City Hospice’s Sparkle Walk 2024, please find out more here
