It's time for the Exmouth community to come together, virtually of course, and get involved in the brand new virtual Twilight Walk experience in aid of Hospiscare.

Saturday 4 July will be a big day for local charity Hospiscare as they embark on their first virtual mass participation event – Virtually Twilight.

Hospiscare is the local hospice charity for Exeter, Mid and East Devon, providing care for people with terminal illnesses and their families.

The care that Hospiscare provides, whether this is in the patient's home, or at one of the hospices, is funded by donations and therefore incurs no cost for the patient.

The charity receives just 15% of its funding from the NHS and therefore relies upon the support of its community to provide its vital service.

In April, Hospiscare made the difficult decision to cancel this year's Twilight Walk due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the charity has been overwhelmed by their supporters' ingenuity as they have found ways to organise events and fundraise virtually.

After careful consideration, Hospiscare decided to create an event that captures the essence of the Twilight Walk, whilst also being safe for all participants.

Virtually Twilight offers participants the chance to choose their own walk, whether that's laps of the garden, a stair climb or a 5-mile walk around your area at a safe social distance.

Entry to Virtually Twilight is just £5 and once signed up, participants will be able to download the Participant Information Pack which includes a Memory Star that can be printed and customised at home. Participants will be asked to raise £30 in sponsorship to support Hospiscare's vital work in the community.

The Twilight Walk has always been an incredibly social event with participants taking part in large groups with family and friends. Hospiscare are therefore suggesting that participants use Facetime or Zoom to share the event with their loved ones.

Once participants have completed their walk, Hospiscare will be broadcasting a moment of reflection, followed by up-beat music from a local covers band. Those not able or planning on walking can still leave a dedication for a loved one and Hospiscare will light a candle in their memory during the Virtually Twilight evening.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the local charity's fundraising efforts with all of its charity shops forced to close and many of its major events cancelled. Despite this, the need for end of life care remains the same and Hospiscare is currently facing a loss in income of around £1 million every 3 months.

The need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the pandemic has added an extra £1,800 a month to Hospiscare's costs. The Virtually Twilight entry fee of £5 can pay for 100 gloves for the hospice's nurses and doctors and raising £30 in sponsorship will pay for a bed on the hospice ward for one hour.

Hospiscare would like to thank event sponsors Jurassic Fibre; an ultrafast broadband company delivering fibre broadband direct to homes and businesses across the South West, with the mission to provide a world-class infrastructure to over 300,000 premises.

To sign up for Virtually Twilight, visit www.twilightwalk.org.uk or give the fundraising team a call on 01392 688020.