League of Friends walking to help raise funds for Torbay Hospital planned new ED

Published: 18 August 2020

A group of local ramblers have decided to let their feet do the walking in aid of Torbay Hospital League of Friends (LoF) which is raising money for a planned new Emergency Department on the site.

The LoF is campaigning to raise £1.5 million for equipment for the new ED which is to be built at a cost of £13 million.

The group will follow the coastal path from Torquay harbourside to Brixham Harbour – a distance of about eight and a half miles on Monday September 7.

The walk is the brainchild of Street Pastor Bill Becher and his wife Maralyn who are both keen walkers with a long affiliation with the South Devon Ramblers.

Bill said: “We were inspired by the example of Reverend Jerry Cook – known as the ‘Rambling Rev’- and his sponsored walks for local causes.

“And with the NHS very much in the spotlight, we felt the time was right for a fundraiser in aid of the Torbay Hospital League of Friends.”

He added: “We both worked at Torbay Hospital when we were first married. I am a volunteer on the Torbay Hospital Chaplaincy Team and a Torbay Street Pastor.

“We have asked a few friends and walking enthusiasts to join us on Monday September 7.”

If you wish to donate online, go to www.thlof.co.uk and click on Donate Now (there will be a message box where you can mention the walk), or you may donate via any of the walkers: Bill and Maralyn Becher, the Rev. Jerry Cook, Mark Pool, Pastor Tim Smith, Sarah Doman, Ian Cawley, and Lee Bray.