Dear Editor,
My name is Lily Britton, and I am 13 years old. I wanted to get in touch to share with your readers details of an event which I think everyone should sign up to. It’s called Sue Ryder Starlight Hike Cheltenham and is a walk the charity organises each year so people can remember people close to them who have sadly died.
Last year, I took part in the Starlight Hike with my mum. The reason I signed up is because my Nana B (that’s what we called her) was cared for by Sue Ryder’s Leckhampton Court Hospice at the end of her life and they were amazing with her. I wanted to give back to the charity.
When we arrived for the walk, we were given a special t-shirt which I could pin my Nana’s name to and proudly show everyone the reason why I was walking.
The atmosphere was buzzing. There were food stalls and people selling colourful glow sticks and necklaces to help lighten up our journey. They were also delicious donuts – not to be missed! Plus, there was music and a warmup which I really enjoyed.
It was a great and exciting adventure through Cheltenham. We met many Sue Ryder supporters and volunteers who kindly supplied food and drinks for the walkers, and we even got to go through the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice grounds where we displayed a star for my Nana.
There were lots of dogs taking part too and they were so lovely to see along the way.
Afterwards we received medals and food and drinks to celebrate finishing the trail. It was pretty tiring for the last few kilometers, but it was a great experience, and I was so proud of my mum and me.
I am excited to take part again this year’s event on the evening of Saturday 21 October and I hope others will join me too sueryder.org/starlightcheltenham
Thank you,
Lily
