A WALK that will raise money for the Duchess of Kent hospice and the day services they supply in Wokingham and Newbury has announced Balfour Beatty as their main sponsor.

The Forget-Me-Not Walk will take place on Sunday, May 12 and will raise money for the hospice, which costs nearly £13,000 a day to run.

Backing from Balfour Beatty helps ensure sponsorship money raised by participants will go towards patient care.

Laura Kell, head of fundraising at the Hospice, said: “Although the focus of this event is remembrance, many participants get sponsored to take on the 5km or 10km route to support our care. The services we provide using the hospice facilities are absolutely free of charge, so it is crucial that we continue to fundraise to make sure these are maintained.”

The walk will be held at Beale Wildlife Park and Gardens in Berkshire near the backdrop of the River Thames. The route will go through the woodland, along the banks of the river and grassland.

Sue Ryder believes it is an an opportunity for people to gather with friends and family to celebrate the lives of those who are gone but not forgotten.

Chris Hall, project manager at Balfour Beatty, said: “We first got involved with the Sue Ryder Charity in 2017 while working with Wokingham Borough Council under our Scape Framework; volunteering at a low level in the local day hospice but the passion and commitment we saw in the Sue Ryder teams soon encouraged us to do more.

"This will be our second year supporting the Forget-Me-Not Walk and we are looking forward to it being bigger and better than ever at its new Beale Park location.

“I would encourage everyone who can give a few hours of their time to come along and share in this great opportunity to remember those who are gone and help give something back to the great people at Sue Ryder.”

The walk attracts over 400 people, for further information, visit: www.sueryder.org/forgetmenotwalk.