A MOTHER and daughter are calling others to join them for a night filled with ‘laughter, camaraderie and sisterhood’ at this year’s Strictly Starlight Walk.

Ann Aspin and daughter Nicola, from Barrow took part in the walk for the first time last year in memory of Ann’s husband and Nicola’s dad, Alan, who passed away in 2010 from a brain tumour aged 65, just six weeks after being diagnosed.

Ann volunteers at East Lancashire Hospice on reception, a role she took up 18 months ago following her retirement from Calderstones hospital.

And the duo put on their walking shoes on Mothers’ Day in training for the hospice’s largest fundraising event.

Ann said: “I hadn’t heard of the Starlight Walk until volunteering for the hospice but I decided I’d give it a go.

“It was absolutely brilliant. It wasn’t a great night weather-wise as it rained a bit on the way round but the camaraderie and atmosphere with all the ladies taking part was super.

“We really enjoyed the warm up and a policeman even joined in with the YMCA which was hilarious.

Nicola said: “I’m really proud of mum and I know she values volunteering at the hospice.

“She has made friends and gets a lot back from what she does.

“The Starlight Walk appealed to me because it’s a different way of raising money with other women.

“From the fitness warm-up to the dancing policemen on the route, people coming out of houses and pubs to cheer us on and the sausage butties at the end.

“It felt lovely to walk alongside mum and our friend who took part with us knowing that every lady taking part was on the same wavelength as us, all raising money for the hospice.”

Ann added: “It can be upsetting thinking that many of the walkers have lost someone close, maybe even their own mums, but I’m lucky that Nicola and I are so close and we have each other.

“We completed the eight-mile walk in just under two and a half hours, finishing at 12.30am. Besides being exhausted, I felt as though we’d done something worthwhile.”

This year’s course includes a shorter five-mile option for those who find eight miles too much.

The walk takes place on Saturday, June 28 from the Soccerdome, Haslingden Road, Blackburn. Registration costs £10 and is open to women and girls aged 10 and above. Call 01254 733411 to sign up.