By Carole Dennett
Mountbatten volunteer Denise Kilpatrick from has taken up the challenge to ‘Walk the Wight – Your Way’. The Binstead resident has walked 100 miles along the Mountbatten wards over the last seven weeks, all the times supporting the staff, patients and families at the Island’s only hospice.
Tomorrow (Sunday) would have been the 30th Walk the Wight event, but although the Covid-19 restrictions mean that the iconic walk from Bembridge to Alum Bay is not able to take place this year, there is a virtual alternative. Mountbatten fundraisers are encouraging Islanders to ‘Walk the Wight – Your Way’, and you can take part right up until the end of May.
Tomorrow Islanders will be joining together to wear something yellow and – within the government guidelines – walk, run, skip, cycle or take part in any other activity to raise much needed funds for the hospice to continue its work in our community.
The day of online activity will be shared on Mountbatten’s official Facebook page and website from 6am tomorrow, when the usual start of the full walk will be marked. People taking part are encouraged to share their Walk the Wight stories and celebrate the amazing achievements of our Island community, despite lockdown.
If you are not taking part yourself you can still show your support for the amazing work of our only hospice from your armchair – by making a donation to Denise’s JustGiving page. The vital work that Mountbatten does is sorely needed across the Island, now more than ever so please consider making a donation – every single pound raised makes a difference.
At 6pm, when the walk would usually be coming to a close at the iconic Needles Landmark Attraction, everyone is asked to come together for a clap for the Isle of Wight community and for Mountbatten’s nurses and carers who are on the frontline of the coronavirus response.
