In this silver jubilee year of St Leonard’s Hospice, I’m delighted to report that we had our largest-ever turnout for our annual St Leonard’s Hospice Challenge Walk, on Saturday.

This was the 20th challenge walk, which over the years has raised more than £200,000 for the hospice’s work of caring for local people with life-threatening illness. In kind weather, 201 people set out from Haworth and followed the 20-mile circular route. Everyone at St Leonard’s is very grateful to all our walkers, many of whom were sponsored, and although it will be some time before we have this year’s total, we know that it will be another impressive sum.

Once again we are very grateful to our generous friends from Mike Thorpe Windows, who sponsored the refreshments and helped at checkpoints, and to Colin Whattam of Badger Hill Bakery, who again supplied the very welcome pies to re-stoke the walkers as they finished the route.

Thank you to everyone, walkers, supporters and friends and families, who so generously added their sponsorship. Your help in our 25th year – and at all other times – is greatly appreciated.

Janet Morley, Director of fundraising, St Leonard’s Hospice, Tadcaster Road, York.