Eighty-one year old Doreen Hindle is limbering up to take part in the ‘Best Sponsored Walk for Ages’. The fundraising event on June 17th is for over 60s and being organised by the Isle of Man Live At Home schemes charity which helps around 700 older people on the Island to live independently.

Doreen, aged 81, attends Onchan Live at Home scheme lunch outings and other social events that it organises. She is taking part in the walk, and showing her appreciation for Live At Home by raising funds for the charity from sponsorship.

The event takes place along the Central Promenade in Douglas, starting at 2pm by the War Memorial and finishing on the promenade opposite the bottom of Summerhill Road. That distance is just short of one mile (0.91 miles), but the emphasis is on fun and participation so those taking part don’t have to cover the full distance if they don’t feel up to it. His Excellency The Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney will be there at the start and intends to complete the walk. Everyone who takes part will be presented with a certificate by Isle of Man Live At Home Patron, Tracey Leahy. There’s no need to enter the event in advance, just turn up before 2pm on the day near the War Memorial and register or ring Onchan Live At Home Scheme Manager Anni Pearsall on 459226. It’s free to enter, but the charity is hoping participants will raise funds via sponsorship.

There are five Isle of Man Live At Home schemes – Western, Northern, Onchan, Douglas, Laxey and Lonan – and the charity also runs the Northern Men in Sheds group. The schemes are run by the local branch of the UK-based charity MHA. All funds raised from the walk will go to help support the charity’s work here on the Island.

Jo Dixon, MHA Area Manager for the Isle of Man, said: “Doreen is a great example of the approximately 700 older people who are members of our schemes. We’re hoping to see many more members taking part in the ‘Best Sponsored Walk for Ages’, but anyone aged 60 or over is more than welcome whether they can walk independently, need assistance, or are wheelchair users. It will be a lot of fun, and the perfect warm-up for the Manx Telecom Parish Walk the day after! But our sponsored walk has a very serious purpose too – it’s an important event to raise funds which will help us make an even bigger difference to the lives of older people, and an ideal opportunity to introduce more people to our schemes and all of the services we offer.”

Jo thanked Douglas Borough Council, St John Ambulance for supporting the event, MannVend who will be providing refreshments on the day, leading communications company MM&C for providing PR and producing certificates for the walkers, and all other organisations who have helped and supported Isle of Man Live At Home’s fundraising efforts.

The sponsored walk is being organised as part of MHA’s ‘Best Week For Ages’ fundraising campaign which runs from June 11th and June 17th. The Isle of Man Live at Home schemes are run by a team of 12 MHA staff and around 500 volunteers, and offer a range of services, including regular social groups, lunch clubs, film clubs, shopping clubs, men’s groups all with transport provided. They also offer guidance on how older people can access other support services, and run befriending initiatives in which volunteers make regular visits to an older person to have a chat and a cup of tea, providing friendship and company.

For more information about Isle of Man Live At Home schemes email Isleofman.liveathome@mha.org.uk or find the charity on Facebook. You can also visit the MHA website www.mha.org.uk. 

Photo - Doreen Hindle (left) with Louise Kewin who is Assistant Manager of the Onchan Live At Home scheme.