VOLUNTEERS put their best feet forward to check out the routes for a charity fund-raising event to be held next month.

Walkers of all ages will set off on June 19 for the annual "Sunflower stroll" to raise money for two East Lancashire hospices.

Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle and Rossendale Hospice have again joined forces to organise the sponsored walk to Thieveley Pike, on the moors between Burnley and Bacup.

Organisers hope to improve on the £1,000 raised during the event last year.

Walkers can either join the Burnley group, which will set off from the Kettle Drum pub, Cliviger, or the Rossendale party, which will start from Bacup Leisure Hall.

The groups will meet at the Pike and then go on to the nearby Deerplay Inn for a well-earned break before returning to their respective starts. Both walks are about five miles.

Mark Sandamas, appeals manager at Burnley and Pendle, and his counterpart at Rossendale, Liz Nelson, teamed up yesterday for a practice session to check out the routes.

Entry forms are available at leisure centres, hospice shops and the hospices or by telephoning Pendleside Hospice on 01282 440100. There is an entry fee of £2 for adults and £1 for under-16s, which includes refreshments, for people who enter before the event.

Fees double for walkers entering on the day.

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