United in Care: Women’s Walk raises over £30,000!

On Saturday 4 July, we saw over 200 people gather in Bath’s Henrietta Park for the Women’s Walk: United in Care, a brand-new fundraising event for 2026.

The first week of July this year was one of our busiest yet. We celebrated 50 years of Dorothy House, welcoming Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to the Hospice, in what was a truly memorable afternoon. However, the excitement didn’t stop there, as we brought the first ever Women’s Walk: United in Care to Bath that weekend. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and participants came together to celebrate the invaluable role women play in caring for loved ones, supporting their communities, and making a difference every day. Ahead of the walk, participants painted stones with messages of inspiration and names of those they were walking for which were to be carried along the route and added to shared display afterwards, a powerful symbol that care is never carried alone.

Walkers began with a lively warm-up with Ro Feilden-Cook from The SHE Collective, before embarking on either the 5km or 12km route through the city. Along the way, they shared stories, remembered loved ones and reflected on the difference hospice care makes to local families.

Celebrating inspirational women

What made the day so special was hearing from participants about their reasons for walking. Su was part of Team Annie, walking in memory of her sister, Annie Lanz, who died in February this year. Su walked with Annie’s daughter, Hattie, sister-in-law, Helen, and her son’s girlfriend, Robyn. Ahead of the walk she told us: “Dorothy House offered vital support at a very difficult time. We are very aware that not everyone is able to receive help with end of life care so wanted to join this walk to help raise awareness and some funds. We raised a huge donation at Annie’s funeral and so not wanting to ask for too much again, our main objective this time is being part of the community and the message of this walk.”

In addition to those walking in memory of a loved one, we also welcomed participants who were currently being supported by Dorothy House, along with their friends and family. One of those teams was Teri’s Heroes, led by Teri herself, who is living with cancer, and took on the 5km route in her wheelchair alongside her team.

“She’s wheeling with us. It was actually Teri who got us all organised! She’s amazing, she said “I’m doing this, anyone want to join me?” So we all did.” – Lynn and Nicky, Teri’s Heroes

Teri is also one of the patients who was interviewed as part of Dorothy House’s appearance on BBC Panorama earlier this year, where she spoke to medical editor Fergus Walsh about her illness and how the Hospice was supporting her and her family.

We also spoke with Sylvia, who you may remember from some of our social media posts in the run up to the event. Sylvia is currently being supported by Dorothy House and took part with her friends as the “Wadswick Walkers,” not only as a way of giving back to the Hospice, but also because walking was an activity they had all been doing together for many years, making their participation extra special.

“I’m getting help from Dorothy House, and these are my lovely friends that I’ve walked with for years. I said “just do one last walk with me” and that’s what we’re doing!” – Sylvia, Wadwick Walkers

Sisters Claire and Caroline were also taking part on the day and had gone the extra mile with their outfits, even turning Claire’s wheelchair into a chariot!

“Claire’s going through her cancer journey at the moment and has just been amazingly supported by Dorothy House, so it’s the least we could do to come out today. The chariot is because Claire’s an absolute warrior – she’s been fighting this awful disease for years and she’s doing amazingly. So she’s a goddess in her chariot!” – Caroline

An afternoon of reflection

On their return, walkers were able to enjoy some delicious food and a celebratory drink, before settling in to hear our inspiring female speakers. We heard from Sophie Broafield, Chief Executive of BANES Council, and Sarah Armit, Senior Sister on our Inpatient Unit. Sarah spoke about the many ways women show care, compassion and strength, often balancing multiple caring responsibilities. Their words brought a meaningful afternoon of reflection and celebration to a fitting close, and there were even a few tears shed within the crowd.

Thank you!

We’re over the moon to share that our wonderful walkers raised over £30,000 for Dorothy House! A huge, heartfelt thank you from us all for your incredible fundraising efforts, and we hope you had a fantastic day. Photos from the day have been uploaded to our Facebook page, so feel free to tag yourself if you haven’t already, and be sure to take a look at our wrap-up video for a full rundown! We were very lucky to be supported by some wonderful Bath-based businesses, who all donated some fabulous prizes which were up for grabs. We’d like to say a big thank you to Minerva Wine, The Pump Room, Mulberry England, the Bertinet Kitchen, and the Royal Crescent Hotel for their generosity.

Thank you also to Ro for leading the warm-up and to Sophie and Sarah for their inspiring and moving speeches. Finally, we’d also like to thank our amazing event volunteers for giving up their time for the day. Whether it was supporting at Henrietta Park or marshalling out on the route, they all worked hard to ensure the event ran smoothly – we couldn’t have done it without them!

If you’ve been inspired to take part in an event for Dorothy House, we’d love for you to get involved. Head to our calendar to view the full list, where you can register for upcoming events such as the Frome Running Festival, the Bath City Abseil, and more!