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Lesley Turner has spent a lifetime caring for others and is still as devoted as she continues her mission to help those in need.

She is taking part in the Manchester Virtual Walk in aid of St Ann’s where she has worked as a health care assistant for 16 years. Much of that time in the bank nursing team overlapped with a 37-year career in social services from which she retired three years ago.

Lesley, from Marple, is part of a St Ann’s group tackling the 10km walk between the 14th to the 17th of May, over our 50th birthday weekend. The 10km walk can be done however and whenever participants like and can be completed in one go, or split up.

Lesley’s late parents Win and Vic used to run a shoe shop on Market Street, Marple. Her hardest time was when her mum was a patient at our Heald Green hospice in 2014.

To show your support to Lesley, visit her fundraising page and sponsor her 10km sponsored walk for St Ann’s.

Staff at Broadstone Mill Shopping Outlet within Broadstone Mill in Reddish – once the largest cotton spinning mill in the world – are holding a charity walk linked to the site’s history and heritage.

Claire Vincent, Marketing Manager at Broadstone Mill Shopping Outlet, said: “When it was a working mill the last leg of the cotton’s journey was along the Manchester Ship Canal.

“We’re walking as far as we can in March, with over a million steps walked in the first week of the challenge. We’re then working out how many times we’d have walked up the Ship Canal. The activity has brought staff together, even though most are furloughed.”

Over a century ago the building echoed to the sound of machines. From Monday, April 12, it will hopefully be the noise from ringing tills and chatting customers when the outlet finally reopens after being closed for much of the last year due to Covid-19.

Broadstone Mill Shopping Outlet, the department store with two floors of shopping and places to eat, has chosen our hospice as its charity of the year.

To sponsor Broadstone Mill Shopping Outlet visit their Just Giving page here.

A Bramhall solicitor firm has pledged to support St Ann’s by offering a free Will writing service for people from across Greater Manchester. 

Butcher and Barlow LLP in Bramhall is supporting St Ann’s during our Will Month campaign, for the second year, pledging to raise much-needed funds for our hospice, whilst helping local people to gain peace of mind from getting their affairs in order. 

Matthew Watson, who is based at the firm’s Bramhall branch, along with colleagues Claire Jackson from their Leigh office, and Donna Crossthwaite from the Prestwich office will all be waiving their usual fees for preparing a simple Will or mirror Wills, and instead asking clients to make a donation to St Ann’s. They join a range of other solicitors from the area who have pledged their support for the popular campaign in aid of local patients. 

Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of our hospice, said: “As a charity, we rely on the kind support of businesses and individuals from our local community and we’re so grateful to the team at Butcher and Barlow LLP for partnering with us for our Will Month again this year. 

“Around a third of our income every year comes thanks to the amazing generosity of people who remember us in their Will – it’s a truly lasting legacy that means we can continue to provide specialist care to local patients and their loved ones. 

“People joining Butcher and Barlow LLP for this initiative don’t need to be previous supporters of St Ann’s, and they don’t need to be leaving a gift in their Will to us either.  If they do decide to do so that would be hugely appreciated, but, hopefully by taking part and writing or updating their Will they will get real peace of mind from getting their affairs in order and ensuring their loved ones know their wishes.” 

The Manchester Midnight Walk will have a virtual twist this year, as we respond creatively to the pandemic restrictions and adapt the event to ensure our biggest fundraiser of the year can continue.  

The city is normally buzzing with excitement each year as more than a thousand participants take to the streets for the sponsored 10km walk in aid of our patients. 

This year’s event was set to be bigger and better than ever before to mark our 50th anniversary on 17th May, but when lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions led to the cancellation of the physical event, we had to think creatively about how supporters can still raise funds 

Rachel McMillan, St Ann’s Chief Executive, said: “It’s really disappointing that we can’t hold the Manchester Midnight Walk in the usual way this year – it’s been running for fourteen years, and walkers have raised a staggering £2million for the hospice in that time.   

“But, the safety of our supporters is the most important thing to us, and our team have come up with a way that people from across the city can still join in and take part in our birthday edition of the walk, just with a virtual twist this year.”  

We’re inviting you to sign up and take on the challenge to walk 10km over the hospice’s 50th birthday weekend from 14th to 17th May. You can choose to walk 10km in one go, or to split it into smaller chunks, and can decide to complete the distance whenever and wherever you wish. 

Rachel added: 

Participants will receive a free fundraising pack and yellow t-shirt to don during their walk, and will also be sent an exclusive medal on completion.