Palliative and bereavement charity, Sue Ryder, which looks after the St. John Hospice at Moggerhanger, has been forced to cancel their forthcoming Starlight Hike thanks to flooding along the route and more rain forecast in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the planned Rivercare community volunteering event due to take place this Saturday, 5 October has also been cancelled due to high river levels and ongoing poor weather conditions.
The 5 or 10k walk under the stars, due to take place next weekend (Saturday, 12 October), is Sue Ryder’s number one fundraising event – having raised £64,000 for the end-of-life care and bereavement charity over the past two years.
Read: Sue Ryder Starlight Hike returns for a magical evening under the stars in memory of loved ones
More than 400 walkers and 120 volunteers were due to attend the event, where the charity was hoping to raise £42,000.
However severe flooding in Everard’s Meadow, and along the River Great Ouse embankment, where the walkers were due to follow their starlit route has combined with a forecast for ongoing heavy rain leading up to the event.
The decision to cancel the event has been made for the safety of those who were due to take part.
“Gutted”
Cheyenne Smith, the Regional Head of Hospice Fundraising for the Sue Ryder Hospice, said, “We are absolutely gutted that we have had to take the really tough decision to cancel this year’s events.
“Not only are they the biggest fundraising event in our calendar, but also poignant events for many people, giving them the chance to come together and celebrate their loved ones.”
The charity says the cancellation presents a “huge blow and a huge hole in funding” for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger near Bedford at a time when costs are increasing, and more people are predicted to need its support.
“We are so sorry for all our supporters and volunteers who we know will be feeling just as disappointed as we are,” added Cheyenne.
“They put so much passion and love into making this event so very special and I want to thank them and our sponsor Concept Event Solutions for their kind ongoing support.
“We know we are not the only people impacted by the flooding. Our thoughts go out to the people and organisations in Bedford who are also being so adversely affected.”
The charity is now calling on people to still make donations to help reduce the financial impact of the cancellation. If you can, please do consider supporting them by donating at sueryder.org/SLHDonate.
All registered participants are being contacted and offered the option to move their registration to an alternative event or receive a full refund.
Rivercare
Meanwhile, due to the high river levels and ongoing poor weather conditions, Bedford Borough Council has decided to cancel the Rivercare community volunteering event due to take place this Saturday, 5 October.
Organisers have thanked those who showed an interest in attending and said they hope to hold a future event in the spring.
