MORE than 100 fundraisers will be walking together in memory of loved ones this weekend.Sunday will see crowds gather at Needham Market to take part in Ipswich's St Elizabeth Hospice's Walk of Thoughts.

MORE than 100 fundraisers will be walking together in memory of loved ones this weekend.

Sunday will see crowds gather at Needham Market to take part in Ipswich's St Elizabeth Hospice's Walk of Thoughts.

The walk is a fundraiser for the hospice, which needs to raise £4.2million every year, but is also a chance for people to remember their loved ones.

Around 140 people have already registered for the 5.5mile walk.

The route takes people around Barking and Needham Market, including Priestley Woods and Needham Market's town centre.

Gemma Turpin, community fundraiser, said: “It's a gentle walk in peaceful countryside, while you are surrounded by your friends and family.

“It's a chance to remember those no longer with us.

“On the day there will be a chance for people to write a message of remembrance or support. The messages will be collated in a booklet and distributed to the walkers.

“It will reflect the Walk of Thoughts and how many people were remembered on the day.

“It's also a chance to get rid of any extra pounds gained in weight over Christmas and January.”

To join the walk, call Gemma Turpin on 01473 707026. The entry fee is £5 per adult and £1 for children under 12.

n Are you fundraising in memory of a loved one? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

St Elizabeth Hospice was established in 1989.

AMONG the families taking part in the walk is Sylvia Hiskey and her relatives, who will be remembering her late husband Brian.

Mr Hiskey, of Elmsett, died in 2004 after spending ten days in St Elizabeth Hospice.

He died from a sporadic form of CJD, a neurological disorder experts know little about.

Mrs Hiskey said: “The doctors don't know what caused it. It was one of those one in a million things.

“He was a well-loved man and more than 250 people came to his funeral.

“He was an ordinary man who didn't want big things. He just liked the simple things in life.

“He is still very much in our hearts and walking in the countryside hearing the birds sing will help us feel close to him, as he would have loved that.”

Taking part in the walk will be Sylvia, her children Martin Hiskey, Simon Hiskey and Annette Barnes, Annette's son Jack, ten, Brian's sister Brenda Woods and his brother and sister-in-law Paul and Carol Robinson.

The family have had t-shirts featuring a picture of Brian printed for the occasion.

Mrs Robinson, of Hemingstone, said the family had raised around £500 in sponsorship.

Paying tribute to her brother-in-law, she said: “Brian was a real villager. He lived in Elmsett all his life, worked hard and was well thought of.

“He loved nature and the countryside and was a great family man.

“The hospice was fantastic and the family wanted to thank them.”