Leading end of life charity Marie Curie has partnered with Gower Walking Festival to mark this year’s Beat the Gower Coast – a fundraising trek across the picturesque South Wales landscape.
Last year, the charity, which provides end of life support to people with a terminal illness, launched its first Beat the Gower trail, with 617 people taking on either a 12 or 24 mile walk from Rhossili and back, raising a total of £182,228 for the cause.
This year, participants can take on either an 11 mile or 21-mile trail across the Gower Peninsula to support the charity on Saturday, September 5, coinciding with the first day of the 9-day Gower Walking Festival.
Commenting on the partnership, Gower Walking Festival organising committee chair Linda Welch said: “we are delighted to be working with such a worthwhile charity and hope that our partnership will help with Marie Curie’s fundraising efforts. It would be great if some of the Beat the Gower Coast participants join us on other walks in and around Gower as they recover from their efforts.”
Participants in the Beat the Gower Coast trek will hike across the iconic Rhossili Bay – home to vast, open beaches with beautiful dunes and surfers out catching waves. If you’re lucky, you might even spot some of the local wildlife, including Atlantic grey seals, dolphins and harbour porpoises.
You can sign up to stride solo or with friends and family for the unforgettable experience.
Marie Curie supports people with any illness they are likely to die from including Alzheimer’s (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s, and advanced cancer.
The charity is dependent on fundraising and public donations, which is why it is encouraging people to join the trek. Marie Curie Nurses and healthcare professionals can provide expert hospice care to people in their own home and/or at its hospice in Penarth. In Wales, Marie Curie also provides Urgent Hospice Care at Home, while its Companions service sees volunteers who provide the emotional and practical support you want – at home, in hospital or over the phone.
Marie Curie’s free Information and Support line, which is available to anyone with an illness they’re likely to die from and those close to them, offers practical and emotional support on everything from symptom management and day-to-day care to financial information and bereavement support. In Wales, the Bereavement Information and Support Service also provides counselling and group support.