Charity walk is wet and wild but lots of fun

Wet, wild but lots of fun was the verdict on Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s annual Cross Bay Walk on Sunday by those taking part, who were joined on the trek for the first time ever this year by supporters of its two sibling charities, mums and babies charity Baby Beat and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, to collectively raise more than £11,000 for the three causes.

A multi-generational group just shy of 300 people, many with dogs, set out from Arnside Pier to follow King’s Guide to the Sands Michael Wilson safely to Grange.

Among them were familiar faces such as nine-year-old Noah Hirst, of Grimsargh, who walked in support of Rosemere Cancer Foundation in thanks for the life-saving treatment his beloved grandad Les Knowles, also of Grimsargh, received at Rosemere Cancer Centre. Noah walked with his mum Louise Hirst.

Mum and daughter Sarah and Hannah Rigby walked to raise more than £1,000 for Baby Beat to support the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Preston Hospital’s Sharoe Green Maternity Unit. NICU had looked after Hannah’s daughter Emilia for 10 weeks following her birth in July 2023 at just 30 weeks.

Another Baby Beat supporter, Ryan Crockett, of Manchester-based design company Day, sponsored the walk.

For Mike Gelder, wife Rachel and a posse of friends, the Cross Bay was an opportunity to show their support for Lancashire Teaching Hospital Charity’s Children’s Fund, which works to make visits to Children’s Outpatients at the Royal Preston Hospital and stays on the hospital’s Children’s Ward less stressful for young patients, their parents and carers.

Dan Hill, chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation and head of charities for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who also did the walk, said: “Thank you to everyone who turned out to join us on what was an especially breezy Cross Bay interrupted by some very sharp showers! It was definitely a wet and wild one but thankfully, the general consensus was that it was still a lot of fun.”

For further information on Rosemere Cancer Foundation and its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk, for Baby Beat see www.babybeat.org.uk and for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, it is www.lthcharity.org.uk