At a glance
Party Like It's 1984!
When
Start: Saturday, May 18, 2019
End: Saturday, May 18, 2019
Where
Walking from Barnstaple, Bideford, Instow or Torrington. Routes from 3.5 to 11 miles
Who
Ladies only. Age 16 plus
With thanks to our Headline Sponsors, Slee Blackwell, and our other business supporters:
A massive well done to all those who took part in Nightwalk 2019. It truly was a night to remember.
Thank you to all the volunteers, helpers, entertainers and walkers who created such a magical atmosphere.
Now the hard work starts, as you aim to collect all your sponsorship and get it in to the hospice. Here's how to do it:
- Those with an online sponsorship page. If you've already set up a page on Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving, simply share your page again a few more times with friends and family on email and social media, to raise as much as possible. When the page closes, the money will automatically come to us
- Not done online sponsorship yet? If you haven't set up a Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving page yet, it's the easiest way to raise sponsorship for your efforts. Simply click here and choose North Devon Hospice as your chosen charity. Again, once you've shared the page with your friends on email or social media, the funds raised will automatically come to the hospice.
- Collected money. If you've taken a sponsorship form round in person, now is the time to hold people by their ankles to collect their promised donations! (only joking, it not's that hard). Once you have collected all the sponsorship money, you can drop it to North Devon Hospice (Deer Park, Newport, Barnstaple, EX32 0HU), or you can send in a cheque for the amount raised. Don't forget to include your sponsor form though, because then we can claim gift aid and boost your donations by 25%!
- Been fundraising? Many people choose to hold a little fundraising event instead of raising sponsorship, such as a raffle at work or a quiz night at the local pub. If you've done this, simply collect the money and drop it to North Devon Hospice (Deer Park, Newport, Barnstaple, EX32 0HU) or send a cheque for the amount you've raised. Don't forget to tell us the names of the Nightwalkers who've helped raise the money, so we can record their contribution.
- Prefer a donation? Many people prefer to simply make a donation instead of raising sponsorship or holding a little fundraising event. That is totally cool. Simply call the fundraising team with your card details on 01271 347232, or click this link and complete the donation form online (make sure you tell us your donation is linked to Nightwalk). It takes two minutes, and then you're done!
Every pound you raise makes a massive difference. Last year only 60% of Nightwalkers raised money for their walk (surprising, right!). Imagine what we could do if 100% of people who took part in this year's Nightwalk contributed towards the cause! It would mean we could provide a whole lot more care to those who need it. THANK YOU!
Thank you so much to photographer Maddie Meddings, who captured some amazing images from the night. They show what a truly memorable occasion it was. Check out the full album and tag yourselves here.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of North Devon Hospice. We first started caring for local people in 1984, which is why this year's Nightwalk is going all-out 80's. We want to celebrate this special 35th anniversary year by holding a Nightwalk party to remember!
We’re calling on 1,500 women to get behind the hospice, have some 80s fun, and together raise over £100,000 for our hospice night nurses.
Since 1984, we’ve helped tens of thousands of patients and their families at the most difficult points in their lives. Help us be there for the next 35 years, as we look to raise vital funds for North Devon Hospice. Every penny raised by our Nightwalkers will make a massive difference.
The ladies from headline sponsors, Slee Blackwell, are among the first to sign up and rock out their Nightwalk t-shirts. They are ready to #partylikeits1984!
Enjoy our Tarka Trail route with 80’s dance routines, DJ’s playing non-stop 80s hits to keep your feet – and the party going. We’ll also have Babycham refreshment stations, dance cameos, 80s stiltwalkers and 80s choreography with our Glowstick dance troupe to give an incredible display. It’s time to ‘boom boom shake the room’.
So come on ladies, let’s make this a special 80’s night to remember. After all, it would be 'gross' not to!
There is a route for everyone at Nightwalk 2019. We have walks of varying lengths, with start points across North Devon, allowing even more women across the area the chance to take part. Choose from:
Barnstaple to Bideford (11 miles)
Bideford to Barnstaple (11 miles)
Instow to Barnstaple (7.5 miles)
Instow to Bideford (3.5 miles)
Torrington to Bideford (7 miles)
The routes all take place on the Tarka Trail, with it's amazing scenery and views of the rivers. The beautiful vistas on offer as the sun sets will only be matched by the vibrancy of the ladies taking part who will light up the Tarka Trail in the dark.
Transport will be provided back to your starting point once you have finished your walk, courtesy of Stagecoach. So all you have to worry about is your outfit for the night!
Nightwalk is a sponsored walk. The sponsorship raised by those taking part is what helps North Devon Hospice care for local people. So, once you have signed up, the really important work starts. Last year only 54% of walkers raised sponsorship, so this year we could double the total amount raised for the hospice if every lady taking part in Nightwalk got behind the cause.
It's so easy to do. Choose from the following three ways in which you could quickly and easily raise so money for taking part in Nightwalk:
1 - SET UP AN ONLINE FUNDRAISING PAGE. Click here to visit Virgin Money Giving and create your page in just a few easy steps. Send it round to your friends, family and colleagues, using facebook, twitter or email. You'll be amazed at how quickly you reach £50 or £100.
2 - DO IT FACE TO FACE. When you register, we'll send you a sponsorship form which you can pass around to those closest to you. Fundraising face-to-face is a great way of doing it, because people will understand exactly why you are doing this and will support you. You'll hit your target in no time at all.
3 - HOLD A SMALL FUNDRAISING EVENT. Run a raffle at work, or a pub quiz down your local. Often people prefer to do this rather than asking people for sponsorship. Again, you'll find support easy to come by as it's for a respected local cause. When you register we'll send you some tips to help make this easy peasy.
With thanks to our headline sponsors, Slee Blackwell, and our other business supporters.
FAQs
Unfortunately no. But we do need lots of volunteers for Nightwalk, so men are more than welcome to be part of the event by volunteering. Please get in touch if this is of interest. Call Gerard on 01271 347244; or email gerardfawcitt@northdevonhospice.org.uk.
This year we have several routes of various length and in locations across North Devon, allowing even more local women to take part. Please see the above section entitled 'routes' for more info, but we have walks of 3, 7 and 11 miles. So you can pick the one that suits you best.
How much does it cost to take part?
Registration is £15 with our Early Bird offer which is available until 1st April, and thereafter advanced registration is £20. For those who register on the night they will pay the full cost of £35. We then ask you to raise as much money as possible to support the work of North Devon Hospice. This is because your registration fee only covers the cost of staging the event. It is your sponsorship and fundraising efforts that go to the hospice, helping us care for local people affected by cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.
What happens after I register for the walk?
After you have registered you will receive your registration letter/email. In efforts to keep our costs low and reduce our impact on the environment, we have asked all our ladies how they would prefer to receive their 'Nightwalk registration pack.' It can be posted, emailed or downloaded from the website. At any point, we are happy to post you more copies so please do get in touch.
The Nightwalk routes are very safe and it would take some very extreme weather for us to cancel the event. However, in this eventuality we would get our volunteer teams together and phone round all Nightwalkers as soon as possible to let them know. For the most up to date information on this matter or the Nightwalk in general, please visit this website, or our twitter and facebook pages. So even if you think the weather is bad on the night, do come along unless you hear from us.
We welcome females who are 16 or over to join Nightwalk.
Your safety is of the utmost importance to us. Each route will be marshalled by volunteers and special marshals will be walking the route with you. We also have a special radio communications team on board and first aid on each route.
There will be toilets provided along all routes as well as rest stops. These are fully marshalled and patrolled for your safety.
Do you have any training tips?
There are many benefits to walking; it is a perfect ways to increase your overall fitness; you can progress at your own pace, it can fit in with any lifestyle and doesn't require any technical skill, or cost you anything! Here are some helpful walking tips and ideas: Make sure you have a good fitting pair of trainers. Don't get a new pair of trainers just before the walk, it is better to break them in at least a few weeks beforehand. If you want to get some new clothing for the walk wear it or at least wash it beforehand to avoid chafing. Don't let rain deter you from going out for a walk or run ... after all it could rain on the night! Always warm up prior to undertaking a walk. If you are a stranger to exercise, we would recommend that you build up the mileage and train slowly and steadily. Stop if your body is hurting. Wear reflective clothing if walking in the dark.
Can we raise sponsorship money as a team?
Yes of course but it would help us if you each had individual sponsorship forms so we can individually record your donation! But feel free to add your team name to your sponsorship form. If you fundraise online as a team though, please clearly mark each team member by name. Otherwise we might not know who has contributed to your team total.
Yes you can. Please tell us your team name when filling out your online entry form (or paper registration form, if you've chosen to print one out instead). We positively encourage you to walk as a team.
Can a friend who hasn't registered walk with me?
Yes. However, we would strongly urge everyone to register beforehand for Nightwalk. This avoids the risk of people turning up on the night and the event being full. It also gives people the opportunity to fundraise before the event. However, for people who register on the night, the registration fee is £35 and we will also give them the sponsor forms and ask them to raise sponsorship after the event.
Yes, parking is available at all starting points. However, we strongly advise you to car share or get dropped off and then picked up again. This is because parking could be limited. Once you have registered and selected your route, you will get all the information you need about parking. At the finish line, our buses can drop you off at your starting point.
Do I need to bring anything else?
Please bring your mobile phone fully charged and a torch. Please avoid using head torches, as they will be distracting for other Nightwalkers coming in the opposite direction to you (as they are exactly at eye level).
Having started the walk, what if I want to drop out?
YOU MUST SPEAK TO THE NEAREST STEWARD (identified by their high visibility vests) and show them your walker number. They will take your details and arrange for you to leave the walk. You should never be more than a few hundred yards from a steward at any time. (Exceptionally, if you really can't take another step and you are between steward points, ask a walker to go to the last or next steward point to get help, then wait with another walker for a steward to come to your aid). It is so important that you let a steward know if you intend to retire from the walk so that the laid down procedure for your withdrawal from the event can be carried out. It is important that you hand in your lanyard if you wish to withdraw. Time and manpower will be used to search for you if we do not know that you have left the walk.
I am walking on my own, is that OK?
Yes, we will ask solo walkers to 'buddy up' with other ladies at the start, so you won't be walking completely on your own.
Once I've registered, when can I start?
When you have registered, we will set walkers off in groups. So there won't be much delay between you registering and actually setting off on the walk
What are the registration arrangements?
Each Nightwalker must report to the registration desk on arrival. These are busy stations so please be patient and bear with us, we will try and get you all going as soon as we can!
Please bring refreshments including plenty of fluid. We will also supply you with a banana and a bottle of water at the start of your walk, and a delicious butty and hot cuppa at the finish.
We suggest you wear walking boots or sturdy trainers (but not new ones!); if donning fancy dress please ensure it will be warm and comfortable enough for the walk. Extra clothing and waterproofs will be needed if rain is likely. Please don't underestimate how cold it can be in the evening. The best thing to do is dress like an onion - in layers! So you can peel off layers if you get too hot.
What time do I need to arrive?
When you have registered, your arrival and start times will be confirmed by email close to the time. These details will also available on the website for each walk during the week leading up to Nightwalk.
What will happen at the end of the walk?
You will receive a delicious butty and a cuppa at your finish. The bars will also be open at Barnstaple and Bideford rugby clubs (the finishing points) should you fancy something stronger! We recommend a designated driver! After a great Nightwalk experience, you can go home safely courtesy of Stagecoach, who will take you back to your starting point (or you can go home through your own arrangements). Then, simply congratulate yourself on a job well done, before getting some well deserved sleep!
Can I bring my fundraising money on the night?
Yes, but in cheque form please if you have completed all of your fundraising, payable to 'Nightwalk.' However, we hope that you will continue to raise as much money as you can after the event. After the event, please send your cheque made payable to 'Nightwalk' and sponsorship forms to Nightwalk, North Devon Hospice, Deer Park Road, Barnstaple, EX32 0HU. If you have set up an online fundraising page, this will automatically come through to the hospice when the page closes down (which is usually some weeks after the event).
