HMRC staff raise thousands for St Catherine's Hospice

The group of seven, who all work at HMRC in Preston, were joined by Walter, a Borsher (Shih Tzu cross Border Terrier), whose cute pout earned them £400 in donations from members of the public on the day.

This took the amount to £3,600 when added to the sponsorship.

Helen Eade, 47, of Bamber Bridge, said: “One of our colleagues Lesley Harrison had breast cancer seven years ago and she now volunteers at the hospice. Since her involvement we have found just how great it is and how it relies on sponsorship.

“As we did our walk and collected money, we spoke to people and they shared their stories about family members who have been touched by cancer. There were so many people affected.

“We were amazed at how much we raised. It is unbelievable. We set a target of £500 and smashed it. We were delighted to collected £400 on the day, from people during the walk at from customers at The Continental at the end. Everyone was so generous.”

Joining Helen and Walter on the 21-mile Preston walkway and cycleway were: Walter’s owner Nicola Richardson; Amy Graham; Nicola Martin; Clare Ormand; Penny Clifford and Anne Freeman.

The team is also organising a charity night at St Gerard’s Club, in Lostock Hall, on June 16, from 7.30pm. Tickets are £3.

Helen added: “We have a DJ and a raffle. We are still looking for raffle prizes from businesses. If anyone can help you can call me on 07528 676323.

“We are hoping to raise £5,000 overall from both these events. We have been so touched by everyone’s generosity so far.”

To make a donation visit http://www.justgiving.com/teams/ginfixitFor information on a St Catherine's Hospice fund-raiser click here /hundreds-expected-for-charity-s-biggest-fundraiser-of-the-year-1-8508381For a previous story on fund-raisers who walked along the Guild Wheel click here /guild-wheel-walk-in-aid-of-amelia-brome-1-8472719