This week, we are celebrating a very special group of Hospiscare Heroes: our Men’s Walkers of 2024.
To all of our amazing Men’s Walkers, volunteers, event sponsors and partners, the local community, everyone who made a donation, and those who cheered for our walkers along the way – we want to say thank you for your support in making Men’s Walk 2024 a huge success!
On Saturday 9 March, the Hospiscare Men’s Walk returned for its 13th year, with a record-breaking 1,400 walkers pulling on their walking boots or trainers and walking seven miles in aid of our local hospice, raising vital funds to allow Hospiscare to continue providing specialist end-of-life care across the heart of Devon.
Starting at the Double Locks pub at Canal Banks, walkers took in the scenery of Riverside Valley Park, River Exe County Park and the historic Exeter Quay. This event was driven by volunteer support, with over 50 people donating their time on Saturday March 9th to make the event possible!
After walking the seven-mile route, our incredible Men’s Walkers gathered back at the Double Locks where they were rewarded with a well-deserved pint courtesy of Exeter Brewery, and a delicious pasty supplied by Chunk of Devon.
Those who couldn’t join us in Exeter to walk the traditional ‘Men’s Walk: Original’ route, instead participated in our ‘Men’s Walk: Your Route’ option, creating their own seven-mile route in a location of their choice.
Don’t worry, we made sure that everyone who signed up for ‘Men’s Walk: Your Route’ had their pint and pasty delivered well in advance!
As always, it was an emotional day but a great opportunity for everyone to share their stories in a supportive environment. We loved hearing everyone’s reasons for participating in Men’s Walk and why they value Hospiscare as a local charity.
The build up to the event saw record amounts of rain, which caused flooding at our beloved Men’s Walk venue, Double Locks. Thankfully, our incredible supporters were well positioned to help – Thanks to all the people that helped dig, rake or provided tools. Thanks to Steve Brook Haulage for collecting tonnes of wood chippings, and Exeter University for providing the wood chippings (sourced from out Christmas Tree collection campaign!).
Thanks to super Kev Sherwood (from Sherwoods!) for removing a tree blocking the Men’s Walk route within 15 minutes notice!
Thanks to the fantastic fundraising efforts, our Men’s Walk heroes have raised over £104,000 and counting – an incredible amount! With sponsorship continuing to come in, we are hopeful the final total will exceed £120,000 – which could pay for 187 days of care on the hospice’s specialist ward.
Of course, all of this wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of our fantastic Devon community and local businesses, who all pulled together to help make the Men’s Walk happen.
We want to say a special thank you to our long-standing event sponsor Wilkinson Grant & Co, and event partners Exeter Brewery, Chunk of Devon and Double Locks.
Finally, we’d also like to mention all of the four-legged companions who put their best paws forward and loyally accompanied their owners on the seven-mile walk. Men’s Walk is a great day out for everyone!
