Participants in last year’s Walk The Wight on Tennyson Down.
A RECORD number of people have signed up to this year’s Walk the Wight event to raise funds for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice.
By Sunday, 1,233 people had pledged to take part in the event — the best start to the year ever for the walk, which takes place on May 13.
This year, Walk the Wight celebrates 22 years of fundraising and its 20th year of raising cash exclusively for the hospice.
Last year, 11,500 walkers took part raising an incredible £320,000 for hospice funds.
There are now four walks to choose from, the original 26.5-mile walk from Bembridge to The Needles at Alum Bay, which takes in some of the most beautiful sights the IW has to offer.
The main walk is also broken down into two stages. There is the 12.5-mile stretch between the start at Bembridge to the checkpoint at Carisbrooke and the 14-mile hike from Carisbrooke to the finish at Alum Bay.
Walkers can register for any three of the above walks or, if they prefer, can take the popular 'flat walk’ between Sandown High School to Thompson’s Trees, Shide, which utilises mainly the flat surface of the former railway line.
The walk is ideal for people in robust wheelchairs and baby buggies but is not suitable for mobility scooters.
Entrants to any of the walks must register before Friday, May 4. Entry is free but registration is compulsory.
• To register, visit the website www.iwhospice.org/wtw or give the fundraising team a call on 01983 528989.
Reporter: davidn@iwcpmail.co.uk