25/07/12......Over £60 K pledged after Florence Nightingale Midnight walk -
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A SEA of pink flashing bunny ears on 650 walkers’ heads was the special scene at Aylesbury College on Saturday, July 21, as the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity held its third Midnight Walk in aid of the local Hospice – with an amazing £60,000 pledged on the night.
The fun kicked off at 10pm with music provided by local DJ Phil Gomm and a mesmorising dance display from Castielli School of Dance to get walkers in the Midnight Walk spirit, followed by a highly-charged warm-up from Joanna Beardsmore-Dilks of Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness Club, which all 650 ladies enjoyed.
A special ‘good luck’ video message by ex-Spandau Ballet front man Tony Hadley who visited the Florence Nightingale Hospice last month in support of the Charity’s third Midnight Walk, was also aired on the night – going down a treat with walkers.
On the night, members of The Game Club, Aston Clinton, officially presented Pat Dodge, FNHC Chief Executive and Mike Bennett, FNHC Chair, with a brand new Ford transit van, which they have kindly donated to help the Charity with furniture donation collections and fundraising events.
After the presentation, Pat Dodge said: “This van will make a huge difference to the services we can offer the public and will also help the fundraising team at events. We’re extremely grateful to the Game Club for such a tremendous donation.
“On behalf of everyone involved with both the Hospice and Charity, we would like to say a very big thank you to all our wonderful marshals, volunteers and staff who helped support the event – some staying until 6.30am Sunday morning!” said Karen Shardlow, Development & Events Manager at FNHC. “We’ve had some fantastic feedback from our walkers. Plus all the local businesses who have kindly lent their support to make this year’s Midnight Walk a success – with special thanks to Aylesbury College and Aqua Vale for making ourselves and our walkers feel welcome for the third-year running.
“With over £60,000 pledged on the night, we hope to exceed the money raised last year so please don’t forget to send in any sponsorship money raised – as it makes a huge difference to the Hospice. This fantastic amount is the equivalent of funding our contribution to In-Patient Nursing for the whole year.”
She added: “To all you amazing ladies who took part in the six and 13-mile challenge, thank you so much. If you have any photos from the night, we would love to see them on our Charity Facebook page. We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you all again on Saturday 13th July next year!”
To see photos and updates from the Midnight Walk visit www.gemstonewalk.co.uk
*****STOP PRESS****
Calling all men! If you felt a bit out left out this weekend, have no fear – Aylesbury Superhero 2012 is back – a 5k fun run, jog, walk or crawl, taking place on Sunday 14th October, 10am in Watermead. To find out more visit www.aylesburysuperhero.co.uk or contact the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity team on 01296 429975.
SOURCE: Contributed
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