Walking for Grandad: An 11-year-old’s magical night at Starlight Hike

I'm Esther and I'm 11 years old. This year will be my third year walking the Sue Ryder Starlight Hike Worth Valley in October with my mum, sisters and friends.

We catch the train to Oxenhope station where it’s really busy, everyone’s chatting and there’s music playing. You can even get glitter on your face at the glitter station! Then we take the train back to Oakworth to start the walk.

Everyone is sparkling or lit up, and when the walk begins you can see all the twinkly lights on people lighting up the route. We’re not very fast, we take our time, eat sweets as we walk, and chat to people we know who are also doing the hike.

Sometimes there’s music and singing along the way. One year someone was singing “I would walk 500 miles” and we kept singing it for ages!

It’s fun walking in the dark with lights and glow-sticks. We raise money for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, which helped my Grandad who died there. When we walk through the grounds of the hospice it feels magical.

We write Grandad’s name on the wall and we always stop to look at his name on the memory tree. We know we’re nearly finished when we get there, and I’m usually getting tired by then.

I would say to everyone: do it! It’s fun, it raises money, and afterwards you feel like you’ve achieved something to be proud of.

This year’s Sue Ryder Starlight Hike Worth Valley takes place on Saturday 11th October.

It’s a special evening walk filled with lights, music and memory, all to raise vital funds for Sue Ryder's end-of-life care and bereavement support.