St Luke’s annual Neon Midnight Walk took place on Saturday. Once again hundreds of ladies in brightly coloured neon gear and lots of sparkle got together with their friends for the city’s favourite girls’ night out, all in aid of the hospice and the care they give across the community.

Many walked in memory of loved ones, celebrating their lives while making fun new memories. With the party atmosphere and plenty of laughter along the way, it certainly was a night to remember!

3, 6 and 13 mile routes, offered a choice of challenges for all abilities. 13 miles in her sights, Antonia from Tavistock said, “St Luke’s helped care for my mum when she was really poorly. Mum wanted to be at home, so it was great that the hospice could come to us in Tavi. Tonight was for mum and such a worthwhile cause”

The route also took the ladies on a tour of many of the city’s landmarks, including Smeaton’s Tower and the Barbican, with many of the 170 volunteers out on route to keep the ladies safe.

When the challenge got tough, morale support came in abundance from spectators cheering from their front gardens along with a toot from passing cars. Gill from Tamerton Foliot said, “Everybody is in such good spirit and the support out on the route is incredible, particularly when it’s late and you’re near the end and you really need that friendly face to give you a clap and cheer, it’s a real motivator”

Nicky Hoff from Plymstock said, “Four years ago my husband was diagnosed with cancer and a year ago he came into the incredible care of St Luke’s. Very sadly he passed away back in October. Tonight, you look around, it is so colourful, a good atmosphere and a real buzz. It is unbelievable really, how many families St Luke’s has reached out to.”

Claire from Callington added, “If someone has gone, it doesn’t mean you have to be sad about it. There is always a light to remember them by and tonight is a great way to have a bit of fun, remember the good times and raise money for a great cause”.

A quick pit stop for the 13 milers in Costa Coffee at Marsh Mills for a welcomed hot chocolate, the routes united for the final mile with a celebratory glass of pink fizz at a mobile bar outside the Citadel.

Medal in hand, and the overwhelming sense of achievement, all that remained was to rest and enjoy a well-deserved post walk breakfast.

Head of Fundraising at St Luke’s, Penny Hannah said: “What an atmosphere! A heartfelt thank you to all the ladies who came out to support St Luke’s tonight, you are all incredible. You only have to look at the messages on the back of t-shirts to appreciate the positive impact St Luke’s has had on local families in need at a time of crisis.

We are hoping tonight will raise in the region of £170,000, enough to provide a complete package of care at home for 170 families not just in Plymouth, but in the South Hams and across Dartmoor. £60,000 has already been donated online, and I encourage anyone who has pledged sponsorship to send it in as soon as possible, so we can put it to work and help even more people in our community.

I would like to thank not only the ladies for taking part, but the people who make an event of this size possible. The army of 170 volunteers, our sponsors Nash & Co Solicitors, Cheezi Fit Plymouth for the fantastic warm-up routine, PL1 Events, Devon and Cornwall 4×4 Response Team, Devon and Cornwall Cycle Marshalls, Drake Circus and all the businesses that have donated products and services, we simply couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.”

Since Midnight Walk first began in 2007, the event has raised a staggering £1,902,000 for hospice care, powered by a caring community who have walked a total 216,591 miles – equivalent to walking around earth, eight and half times.

View chip times and register your interest for Midnight Walk 2019

Government will not fund hospices to match the NHS pay award, resulting in an estimated shortfall of £1.6million for Devon’s four hospices.

Four hospices in Devon have warned that a lack of government funding could leave them struggling to recruit and retain nursing staff, putting a strain on funding and potentially leaving vital front line services at risk.

The government have indicated that the welcome recent pay award for NHS staff will not be extended to hospices, a decision which if Devon hospices were to match would present a shortfall of £1.6 million collectively.

North Devon Hospice, St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, Rowcroft Hospice in South Devon and Hospiscare in Exeter are all calling on the government to provide support for hospices to help them match the pay award provided to NHS staff.

Hospice UK, the national body representing hospice’s across the country, estimates that changes resulting from the NHS pay deal mean that its 200 member hospices will have to spend an extra £100million over the next three years – equivalent to 2% of the funding that the Government has put aside to fund the increase for staff working in the NHS.

A spokesperson representing the four Devon hospices, St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, North Devon Hospice, Rowcroft Hospice and Hospiscare said: “Without doubt, we are in full support of the well-deserved pay award for our NHS colleagues and this should be celebrated, but we echo concerns as to how this will impact us locally.

To continue to recruit and retain nursing staff within hospices, we will have to consider options to increase our salary costs to compete with the NHS without any additional support in funding from the government”.

The Government recently outlined in a Written Ministerial Statement how it intends to address the impact of the pay award on non-NHS providers, including hospices.

The Government will allow non-NHS providers – that are providing NHS services and that employ staff on an Agenda for Change contract – to access part of the £800 million that is being made available to the NHS this year for staff pay. Only those organisations that match Agenda for Change terms and conditions will be able to access the extra funding.

Most hospices use Agenda for Change terms and conditions as a guide to their local pay policies for clinical staff – rather than matching the terms and conditions exactly – so it looks likely that the majority of hospices would not be able to access this funding.

Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive of Hospice UK, said, “This decision by the Government to restrict funding for non-NHS providers is very worrying and will have a very damaging impact on charitable hospices, who are already facing huge financial pressures and operating in a tough fundraising climate. This will put their stretched resources under even greater strain.” Full Hospice UK statement available online.

When you see a company’s logo on St Luke’s promotional materials – whether it’s a Tour de Moor tee-shirt, an Open Gardens brochure or a Neon Midnight Walk poster – what does it mean to you?

It would be easy to think the answer is simple. A business would only sponsor us and lend its logo if it boosted its own profits, right? Well, not exactly! While the bottom line has to be a crucial consideration in any business decision, from talking to the companies who get behind our charity through corporate sponsorship we know there’s more to their motives than you might think.

As well as citing increased profile and an upsurge in customers as a result of their involvement, what drives them is the pride they feel in being associated with such an outstanding local organisation; the urge to give something back to the charity that has cared for many people close to their staff and clients, and the swell of team spirit that working with us helps spread throughout their workforce.

Portcullis Legals sponsor our Open Gardens scheme, which raises vital funds. The company’s Chief Executive Trevor Worth said: “We’re a Plymouth firm with many local clients and as a charity here St Luke’s is iconic. It’s in our DNA because it touches many of our lives and those of our partners, so it’s important that in the round we provide this support.”

Many of the companies who get involved choose to give long-term support to St Luke’s by sponsoring the same event over consecutive years, recognising the momentum this helps build. One such company, Nash & Co Solicitors, has sponsored our Neon Midnight Walk for three years.

The company is quite literally ‘walking the talk’, too, with a big group of Nash & Co ladies joining together for the event on 21 July. Marketing Manager Dave Briggs said: “It’s something that helps bring our staff together and is a bit more fun rather than them doing it individually, and it helps drive up their enthusiasm and engagement in raising money for St Luke’s.”

Another long-term sponsor is IU Energy, who back our annual Men’s Day Out. Chief Executive Duncan Banks said: “Sponsoring St Luke’s ticks a lot of boxes for us. The charity services the community, and it’s a great team-building exercise for us as so many of our staff love taking part in the event. We raised over £86,000 for last year, and we’ve signed up for the next three years. Ultimately, it’s got to be one of the most fundamental corporate social responsibility activities we undertake as a business.”

So there you have it. When businesses work with St Luke’s, it’s definitely a case of both head and heart. Learn more how your business can benefit from a partnership with St Luke’s.