Moonlight Walk hosted by St John's Hospice back this June

Expected to be attended by hundreds, the walk aims to inspire the participants to pledge their support to the hospice in memory of someone they love.

For the first time, the route will include a visit to the centuries-old Lancaster Castle, which will be cast in the hospice's signature colour green.

St John’s Hospice is hoping for 1,000 walkers to join the memorable event.

Their last walk saw participation from as far as Bahrain, and the call to join has now reached New York's Times Square.

Lily Knight, the events and corporate fundraiser for St John’s Hospice, said: "The Moonlight Walk has always been one of our best-attended events which we’ve brought back due to popular demand!

"We’ve worked hard re-imagining the event, to welcome first-timers and still keep it exciting for the amazing people who have joined us before."

This community-centric walk is set to be an ambiance-packed event, with walkers invited to join regardless of whether they've personally benefited from the hospice’s services or not.

Ms Knight said: "There’s an incredible atmosphere and sense of community at the Moonlight Walk, and we want to welcome everyone to come and walk in memory of someone they love whether they received care at St John’s Hospice or not.

"It’s also a really unique experience to share with friends!

"We’re so excited for everyone to see how we’ve updated the event."

St John’s Hospice offers critical palliative and end of life care for adults across North Lancashire, the South Lakes and some parts of North Yorkshire.

With a cost of operation standing at £12,000 a day, the hospice relies heavily on local community support, as only 25 per cent of their funding comes from the NHS.

David's wife Jean received St John’s care, and he encourages people to sign up for the Moonlight Walk.

He said: "St John’s know how important it is to celebrate life events."

He later added: "I’m still flabbergasted at the amount of work St John’s do.

"They’re on the hospice ward, they are in homes like mine and then there’s all the bereavement support which is good; we need that help afterwards. I used to wonder why they were always fundraising, now I know why – so many different types of care and support that we all need, and it all needs paying for."

Local workplaces and groups have shown support by signing up as teams.

Joanne, a district nurse from Lancaster, said: "In the district nursing team we really see just how important St John’s Hospice is and how invaluable the care they provide is to this community."

She also said: "We’ve been thinking about trying to organise an in-person get together for a while now and thought the Moonlight Walk was the perfect opportunity to see each other and also raise money for this incredible local cause."

For more details about the Moonlight Walk and ways you can participate, visit sjhospice.org.uk/moon.