Aroundtown Magazine May June 2023 edition

OUT & ABOUT
Who will you walk
in memory of?
This June, the much-loved Midnight Memory Walk
organised by Rotherham Hospice is back following
a seven-year hiatus with a Millers legend leading
the way once again.
When Rotherham United’s
John Breckin was made a hospice
ambassador last September, one
of his first missions was to resurrect
the annual midnight walk he
originally launched 15 years ago.
John lost his wife Denise to
cancer and his family benefitted
from the exceptional care provided
by the Rotherham Hospice team. To
say thank you and raise some cash
for the hospice, he organised the
first Midnight Memory Walk in 2008.
The hospice was
“
there for my family
when we needed
them. Now’s our
chance to come
together, remember
our loved ones,
and be there for
the hospice.
”
That inaugural event also
marked the final chapter of John’s
beloved Millmoor Stadium where
he’d spent years as both a player
and coach; once the walkers had
set off, the gates closed for good.
Over 1,000 people took part in
the first Midnight Memory Walk,
raising £97,000 for the hospice.
The annual event ran for many
years before it was replaced with
the Glow with the Flow moonlit walk
that was suspended due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
John is hopeful the public will
go the extra mile for the return of
the Midnight Memory Walk which
this year is starting from Rotherham
United’s new home, New York
Stadium. He would love to see a
thousand people take part like they
did back in 2008.
“Rotherham Hospice is a
fabulous place that belongs to
Rotherham people. It’s something
we should be proud of as its one
of the things the town has got
right. Unfortunately, most people in
Rotherham will need to use one of
the many services at the hospice at
some time in their life.
“But the Midnight Memory Walk
is to remember anyone you have
lost, not just those who received
end-of-life care at Rotherham
Hospice,” John says.
Rotherham Hospice has
provided palliative care to the
people of Rotherham for almost 30
years. The hospice has a 14-bed
inpatient unit where patients with
terminal illnesses receive expert
care and attention. They also have
a day hospice service for patients
to visit once a week, as well as
a community team who support
patients in their own homes.
But Rotherham Hospice also
supports patients’ families along
the way, with services like respite
care, counselling sessions, and the
Sunbeams support group to help
children through bereavement.
The hospice provides all their
services free of charge. But it needs
£6million a year to operate, half of
which they must fundraise for, which
is a big task.
John says: “The hospice was
there for my family when we needed
them. Now’s our chance to come
together, remember our loved ones,
and be there for the hospice!”
The Midnight Memory Walk will
take place on Saturday 24th June
starting at New York Stadium just
before midnight. There will be two
routes – 10k or 15k – which are
yet to be confirmed but will make
stops at Clifton Park, the hospice
on Broom Road, Stag, Whiston, and
Moorgate before heading back to
the NYS.
Entry is £5 per person and you’ll get a sponsorship form
to help you set a fundraising goal. T-shirts are also
available to purchase for £7.50.
Enter online at www.rotherhamhospice.org.uk/midnightmemory-walk-2023
40 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk