MANORLANDS staff are stepping forward to raise cash for the hospice.

A team of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants has signed-up to take part in the annual Starlight Hike.

All proceeds from the event, on Saturday, October 12, go to the Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice.

The staff cohort aims to raise £140 – enough to fund a Manorlands nurse for a day – and has set-up an online fundraising page, at justgiving.com/fundraising/TeamManorlands1.

Hospice senior fundraiser and event lead, Hayley Ibbotson, said: “It’s great to have our healthcare teams taking part and our supporters love to see their familiar faces walking alongside them.

“The hospice staff are always so supportive of our fundraising initiatives and we work closely with them to make sure that together we can all deliver the care our local community relies on us for.”

The Starlight Hike, which is once again being sponsored by Stirk Lambert and Co Accountants, follows a ten-kilometre route through the villages of the Worth Valley.

A Starlight Express steam train provided by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway will take participants from Oxenhope Railway Station to Oakworth, where the marshalled walk begins.

As well as the healthcare workers, staff and volunteers from Manorlands’ family support team will be present on the night. They will be on hand to offer support as walkers pass through the grounds of the hospice to reflect and remember loved ones.

Organisers say that although several hundred walkers are set to take part in the event, sign-ups have been slower than normal so people are being encouraged to come forward.

For further information, visit sueryder.org/starlighthike/manorlands or e-mail hayley.ibbotson@sueryder.org.

Manorlands supports patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families at the hospice and in the community, across an area covering Craven, Airedale and Wharfedale as well as parts of Bradford.

All services are free to patients and their loved ones, but it costs £9,000 a day to keep the hospice doors open.

Only a small part of the cost is covered by statutory funds.

Most of the funds have to be raised through voluntary donations.