Thousands of people will be hitting the city streets of Manchester this June in support of St Ann’s Hospice.
St Ann’s Hospice’s flagship fundraising event, the Manchester Midnight Walk, is back following its success in 2016, where around 1500 participants raised just under £170,000 for the local hospice.
The event has pulled in the crowds every year since it began in 2007, creating a unique late-night party atmosphere.
Eamonn O’Neal, Chief Executive from St Ann’s, said: “Last year’s walk was incredible with thousands of people joining in to raise an amazing amount for the hospice.
“We’re really excited for this year’s event, and can’t wait for everyone to see what we have planned for the evening!”
Interested walkers can sign up to take part in the 10k moonlit stroll now, by visiting the St Ann’s website or calling 0161 498 3631. A special early bird rate is available for keen walkers who book their place early.
Eamonn added: “As one of the oldest adult hospices in the country, we are constantly looking at ways to raise the £16,000 a day we need to keep our hospice doors open.
“We’re really fortunate that Mancunians and Salfordians alike rally around in support of our patients, and the Manchester Midnight Walk is a perfect example of that.
“It’s amazing to see so many people out in force passing local landmarks to raise money for local people.”
Many walkers take part in memory of lost loved ones, whilst others join in simply for a night of fun and fundraising.
- Early Bird fee of £15 is available until 31 March 2017. Following that date, the Standard Adult Fee of £20 applies for those aged 18 and over. The Youth Fee for walkers aged 11-17 years (walkers must be aged 11 or over) is £10, with Previous Walkers at £15, and Groups (5 people or more) fee of £15 per person.
Busby Babes Auction
A souvenir of the famous Busby Babes is being offered in an online auction in aid of St Ann’s Hospice.
Autographs of six of the Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster in 1958 are available.
The signatures include the legendary Duncan Edwards who was among 23 passengers who died when a plane carrying the United team back from a European tie crashed on take-off.
The auction coincides with the 59th anniversary of the tragedy on Monday, February 6.
The memorabilia has been donated by Ann and Brian Smith, who found the piece of paper containing the autographs when they were clearing out the house of a late relative.
The retired couple, from Offerton, are both United supporters and hope the eBay auction will raise funds for St Ann’s.
They painstakingly researched the signatures to verify their validity.
Edwards was regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and his signature is accompanied by those of club captain Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman and Liam Byrne, plus trainer Tom Curry who all died in the accident.
The souvenir also has signatures from team-mates Bill Foulkes, Jackie Blanchflower and Dennis Viollet who all survived the crash.
Ann said: “We found the autographs more than 20 years ago and assume the page had been torn out of an autograph book at some time.
“We thought it’d be nice to raise money for charity and St Ann’s do such good work in the community so if anyone wants to make an offer for the item then all the proceeds will go towards this good cause.”
- The auction runs from February 3 to February 12 with a reserve of £75. To bid between those dates go to stores.ebay.co.uk/St-Anns-Hospice-Trading-Company.
