A POPULAR fund-raising day should see more than a thousand walkers marching across the North Downs next weekend.

The Bluebell Walk is the largest event in the Heart of Kent Hospice’s calendar and last year raised more than £60,000.

This year’s walk, on Sunday, May 4, will be the 21st anniversary of the event, which gives walkers the chance to view the beauty of the North Downs, and its bluebells, in spring.

The circular walk is 8.5 miles long and starts from Harrietsham community centre, with a halfway stop at the Ringlestone Inn for refreshments. Privately owned bluebell woods are opened especially for the day by Torry Hill Estate, near Milstead.

Jane Newman, who has been organising the walks for more than a decade, said: “People may not associate walking with a family day out, but the Bluebell Walk provides that perfect opportunity.

“In this special anniversary year we are hoping to raise £70,000, which will mean that 21 years of Bluebell Walks will have raised almost £1 million for the hospice.”

Dogs are also invited on the walk and even get a certificate for participating, while walkers are given a free Ploughman’s lunch.

A treasure hunt provides more fun.

This year the hospice, which provides palliative care for terminally ill patients with cancer, motor neurone disease and other illnesses, needs to raise more than £2.6 million in order to continue its care.

For further information, please call the hospice on 01622 790195 or email enquiries@hokh.co.uk.