This year’s Midnight Walk takes place on Saturday 11 September – and we want to make it the biggest record-breaker yet. The aim is to raise £200,000 for patient care, and to do that we need at least 1,500 willing women to walk the streets of Bath, starting at the stroke of midnight on the 11th. Royal Victoria Park, the Royal Crescent and Great Pulteney Street are just some of the attractions along the 8km (5 mile) route, which has been carefully planned to be safe and full of interest.

Over the past three years, the walk has grown in popularity, with 1,000 women taking part in 2009, raising more than £120,000 for the hospice.  This year’s walk will take place in Bath, rather than around Winsley and Bradford on Avon, to allow more women to take part.  Organiser Phillippa Watson said: “The past three years have been amazingly well-supported, with people signing up for a second, or even a third, time. But we reached the limit in 2009 as far as numbers are concerned: it wouldn’t be safe to have more than 1,000 walking the country lanes around Winsley. “Taking the event into Bath means we can cope with as many as 2,000 walkers, and we’ve come up with a fantastic route that we think will prove to be a real draw.” The walk will start from the new SouthGate shopping centre, taking participants on a circular route that includes some of the city’s most beautiful areas.

Phillippa added: “We’ve planned a safe and picturesque walk, along streets with wide pavements as well as round Victoria Park. Bath and North East Somerset Council are happy with the route, as are the police, and of course the event will be fully marshalled, as usual.
“We are very grateful to SouthGate for allowing walkers to park their cars free of charge in the 860-space car park below the shopping centre. This will make it much easier for people coming from out of town. We’re also delighted that a number of businesses in the new centre will be supporting the event.
“There’s still plenty of time to sign up for the walk – and we don’t specify a minimum fundraising amount. But the walk’s success relies on everyone raising sponsorship so we do ask people to raise as much as they possibly can: the £10 registration fee only covers the organisational and admin costs.”


The Midnight Walk is open to women aged 16 or over on 11 September 2010. The entry fee is £10 per person. For an entry form, or more details, call fundraising on 01225 721480 or click here to download an entry form [436kb PDF].

More details can be found at www.dorothyhouse.co.uk/midnight-walk

Although the walk itself is a women-only event, men are most welcome to take part as marshals on the night: call fundraising to find out more.

Read News  | Posted on July 6th 2010