Over £100,000 raised in this year’s Men’s Walk to Support!

The Men’s Walk to Support returned to Dorothy House on Saturday 8 March with over 500 men in attendance, all walking to support the work of the Hospice.

After winning Event of the Year at the South-West Chartered Institute of Fundraising Awards last year, the Men’s Walk returned, bringing together men from all walks of life to share their experiences of grief and bereavement while raising funds to support patients and families across our 800sq mile patch. The sun was shining, and spirits were high, with 523 men walking the 8-mile route starting at the Hospice in Winsley and finishing at Bath Pavilion.

Kitted out in their Men’s Walk t-shirts, our walkers set off on the route along the canal, sharing stories and remembering loved ones, before arriving at the Pavilion in time for the Six Nations matches and a well-earned pint and some food.

Remembering the women in our lives

With this year’s Men’s Walk taking place on International Women’s Day, we invited our participants to remember the special women in their lives. One of those walkers was Andy, who takes part every year in memory of his wife, Kerry, who died in 2014.

Andy’s team, Kerry’s Heroes, have been fundraising since 2015, participating every year that we’ve held the event as a way of showing appreciation of the support that Dorothy House gave to Kerry and the rest of the family. A mixture of friends, family, and former colleagues, this year, Kerry’s Heroes welcomed their youngest member to the team, a 12-year-old grandson.

“To anyone thinking about taking part in the Men’s Walk, I would say do it! So many people have been, or will be, supported by Dorothy House as they, or someone they know or love, approaches the end of their life. The work of the hospice relies heavily on donations, as government funding is very limited, and so every penny raised can help make a real difference; I also ‘guarantee’ you will enjoy it!” – Andy

This year also saw the return of the Men’s Walk to Support Memory Wall, which was introduced at last year’s event. Participants were able to write a message on their tags ahead of the walk, which they then carried along the route and attached to the wall at the Pavilion. After the event, the wall was brought back to the Hospice where everyone could read the wonderful memories and messages.

The final total

With last year’s event hitting the £100,000 milestone, the bar was well and truly set for 2025. However, our amazing walkers didn’t disappoint! Thanks to their incredible fundraising efforts, combined with activity on the day such as the raffle, the Men’s Walk to Support 2025 has raised a phenomenal £112,000!

All of us at Dorothy House are so grateful for the support given. Every penny raised will help us continue to provide care to the people in our community who need us, both here at the Hospice in Winsley, and across our 800sq mile patch.

Thank You!

As with all our fundraising events, we could not have done it without the support of so many wonderful organisations and individuals. So, with that in mind, we would like to say a big thank you to:

Devizes Rotary for fuelling our walkers with bacon sandwiches at the start of the event, and Everyone’s Brew for providing the teas and coffees.

Our fantastic medics from My Skills for Life, who were on hand to keep our walkers safe and well throughout the event.

Burger Bus Bristol and Go Greek Catering for providing the delicious food to our participants at the Pavillion after the walk.

The team at Bath Pavilion for welcoming us back for another year.

Our raffle prize providers, Lilley’s Cider and The Wiltshire Outdoor Learning Team.

We’d also like to say a huge thank you to our amazing volunteers who gave up their time to support at the event and helped make it such a huge success.

Finally, all of us at Dorothy House want to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Men’s Walk to Support and for their incredible fundraising efforts. The money raised will go such a long way in helping us to support patients and their loved ones.

Fancy joining us for the 2026 Men’s Walk? Save the date: it’s back on Saturday 14 March 2026 and you can register your interest now! Don’t forget, you can download and print our Fundraising calendar for 2025 here so you don’t miss a single event!