Registration opened in January for this year’s very special Walk the Wight – and people are already enthusiastically signing up.
Mountbatten is celebrating 30 years of the iconic walk, which has raised more than £5 million since it began in 1991.
Founded by Bill Bradley and Frank Stevens as a small team building exercise for Morey’s staff, the Walk has grown to become the largest fundraising event on the Island and the largest sponsored walk of its kind in Europe.
To mark three decades of the walk, the charity is encouraging walkers past and present to share their own memories of the event and the people who inspired them to take part.
“To think this is the 30th year of Walk the Wight is quite extraordinary,” said Mountbatten CEO Nigel Hartley. “The history, the memories and the importance of this walk make it such an amazing event”.
He says that when he walks again this year, he’ll be remembering his mother, with whom he shared precious moments when she was dying in a hospice.
“Memories like these make this walk truly inspiring and we want everyone to celebrate with us by remembering someone special on Sunday 10 May” he said.
Using #iremember, walkers are being invited to share their stories with Mountbatten online and on the day.
Special t-shirts have been designed with a space for people to write the name of their loved one, and anyone who donates £30 or pledges to raise £100 will receive a t-shirt with their fundraising pack. All packs will contain an #iremember dedication for walkers to write a memory, which they can wear on the day.
The main walk starts at Bembridge and ends at The Needles but walkers can choose to do half, either from the start or from the midway point at Carisbrooke. The eight-mile Flat Walk from Sandown to Newport is also available for people of all ages and abilities. Free Island bus services will run all day for registered walkers.
To register, visit the website: www.mountbatten.org.uk