Lancaster to turn red as hospice Moonlight Walk returns to city

This year, the walk is turning ‘ruby red’ to celebrate St John’s 40th anniversary.

The standard 16km route will take participants around some of the sights of Lancaster and Morecambe at night, and for the first time, a shorter 8km route has been introduced.

Lily Knight, fundraiser at St John’s Hospice, said: “We want the Moonlight Walk to be accessible to as many people as possible, so we’re delighted to be adding a shorter route this year! Since we reimagined the Moonlight Walk in 2024, this longstanding event has returned to one of our best-attended and most-loved events.

“There are several opportunities for people to remember their loved ones along the route, and both the standard and shorter walks will travel up to Lancaster Castle, which we are delighted to visit again. ‘Memory Lane’ has moved to the Millennium Bridge, so everyone is able to see it.

"This year the journey to the castle will be even more special, as we’re delighted to announce imitating the dog, who you might know Light Up Lancaster, will be projecting messages from participants onto the castle!

“Lancaster Castle, the Millennium Bridge, t-shirts and accessories will all be red this year as we celebrate St John’s Hospice’s ruby anniversary, by our sides every minute of every day since 1986.”

Julie Brown, executive director at imitating the dog, said: “We were delighted to be asked by St John’s Hospice to contribute to the Moonlight Walk for their 40th Anniversary. As a Lancaster company, we see the vital work that the organisation does and the services they provide in the local community, and this moment of togetherness is both incredibly special and a privilege to be a part of.”

Hundreds of people have already signed up to ‘see Lancaster and Morecambe like never before’ and there is room for many more on this unique walk.

The walk starts and ends at St John’s Hospice, just north of Lancaster on Slyne Road, where participants can enjoy entertainment and food at the event village before setting off, and finishers’ fizz and bespoke medals on completing the walk.

St John’s Hospice provides palliative and end of life care for adults across north Lancashire, the South Lakes and parts of North Yorkshire.

In addition to the hospice, St John’s community teams also help patients in their own homes, and provide whole-family bereavement support.

St John’s costs more than £20,000 a day to run, with around 25 per cent of funding coming from the NHS, and the rest raised through incredible community support.

The money raised through events like the Moonlight Walk makes this care possible.