‘An absolute joy’

A woman, who lost her partner last year, has paid tribute to the work of Mountbatten, as more than 7,800 walkers took part in Walk the Wight on Sunday, raising £340,000 for the charity, with more to come.

Lynsey Vickery, of Freshwater, lost partner, Malcolm, 64, to throat cancer last November, and she said: “Mountbatten were instrumental in his last few days. The nurses got involved taking the lead with his pain relief.

“They were constantly there with us making him comfortable and supporting us as a family.

“Unless you have been in that situation, you don’t fully understand the actual extent of just how much they do for the patient and family.”

Lynsey was determined to pay back the nurses, by walking the wight; she added: “It was wonderful; I started at Bembridge and did the whole walk and various family and friends joined in along the way. My 70-year-old mum, Susan, walked 14 miles from Carisbrooke, and even our dog, Jasper, walked from Freshwater Bay to The Needles! So far, I have raised £1,185 for such a deserving cause.”

Huge crowds were involved on Sunday, with the fund-raiser participation finally returning to pre-Covid levels. Nearly double the number of walkers signed-up, compared to last year’s event.

CEO, Nigel Hartley, who walked all 26½ miles from Bembridge to The Needles, said: “It was simply amazing – an absolute joy to be part of and to see so many people come together for Mountbatten.

“Walk the Wight was very much back to its best, and we are so grateful to everyone involved in the day.

“In these challenging times, the money raised so far is simply incredible and will help us so much in supporting people who need our care on the Island.

“It is a huge task to organise the walk, and I would like to personally thank our staff, volunteers and all our community supporters and sponsors who helped to make it happen.

“Thank you to you all for a truly memorable day.”

Walkers had the choice of four different routes – the full 26½ miles, either the first or second half or the eight-mile flat walk.

The Schools Walk the Wight, from Freshwater Bay to The Needles, sponsored by Wightfibre, also welcomed more than 1,000 walkers and has so far raised around £30,000 towards the overall total.
More sponsorship money is still to be collected and the final total raised will be announced later in the year.

Next year’s event will take place on Sunday, May 12, 2024. To sign up go to iow.life/wtw2024.