Five Weeks until the Starlight Strut!

This year’s Starlight Strut takes place on Friday 29 June – a night-time charity walk for women, following a 5k or 10k route through Derby city, raising money for the hospice.

She really loved it

Amongst those who took part in the Starlight Strut last year is Mina Munns, a vicar from St Helen’s Church in Selston. Treetops provided support for both Mina’s grandparents as she explained:

“Treetops is a place I’ve known about for a very long time and I know how much it really helped my grandma and grandad.

“In 2004, my grandma, Edna, was diagnosed with lung cancer and she came to Treetops for Day Care every week and she really loved it. One of the things she really got involved with was the silk painting.

“When my grandma died, my grandad Alf found it really, really hard to cope. They’d been married for over 60 years. He ended up coming to Treetops for several things – he had Reiki, bereavement counselling and attended Day Care.

His lifeline

“It was Treetops that lifted him and he had something to look forward to. He absolutely loved it – it was his lifeline. It was Treetops that kept him going. The counselling was really valuable to him and just getting out a couple of times a week, seeing people and having things to do and not just be in his house.”

“We did the 10k walk last year – it was well sign-posted, there were people there to make sure you knew where to go and it was really fun. It felt really safe and it was great. The atmosphere was really good.”

This year, Starlight Strutters are being encouraged to come in ‘disco’ fancy dress and enjoy the disco party atmosphere with fellow walkers.

An incredible evening

Treetops head of fundraising, Jennifer Sheehy, explained how important the event is for the hospice:

“The Starlight Strut is the biggest fundraising event we hold every year and helps raise thousands of pounds so we can continue to provide our services for free to local people.

“Whether you want to take part as a way to remember someone special or simply want to have a fun night with your family and friends – we’d love for you to join us for an incredible evening.”

Treetops Hospice Care services include Support and Information, a Day Care Unit, Hospice at Home nurses and Therapeutic Services including counselling, art therapy and complementary therapy.