FOUR women whose eldest sister lost her battle with cervical cancer last year are taking on the Starlight Walk in her memory.

Kim Goldfinch, Natasha Benwell, Sadie Corbridge and Samantha Corbridge will take on the challenging 15km stroll in memory of eldest sister, Kelly Hambidge, who spent her last few weeks in Prospect Hospice before she died on December 19 at the age of just 37.

Adopting the team name, Kelly’s Star, the women will tackle the event on Saturday, June 27, to raise money for the Wroughton-based hospice.

“We are doing this as a tribute to Kelly,” said Kim. “And as a way of thanking Prospect Hospice for the way they cared for her, and for the family, in the last days of her life.

“She initially had cervical cancer, but it had spread by the time they found it. Cervical cancer does seem to be affecting a lot of people, but that might be just that I am more aware of it now.”

Not a stranger to sporting charity fundraisers, Kim has decided to take part in the Starlight Walk to say thank you to Prospect.

The 35-year-old from Coleview said: “I usually do the Race For Life, but this year I wanted to do something for Prospect rather than for cancer research more generally.

“I don’t think people quite realise all that the team at Prospect Hospice do. While Kelly was there, we were always being asked what we needed. It felt as though the team there couldn’t do too much, and we really appreciated that.”

“I work as a nurse at the Great Western Hospital, so I meet many patients who are referred to Prospect Hospice, but before Kelly’s experience I didn’t really know how amazing the care they provide there is. They were amazing.

“As a nurse, I think it takes a very special person to work in a place like Prospect Hospice. The nurses there do remarkable work, and I am glad that the money we raise on the Starlight Walk will go towards the hospice’s nursing care.”

Now, the sisters are encouraging more people to sign up for this year’s event and take advantage of the early-bird entry offers.

The Early Bird registration period offers the chance to register for the popular event at a reduced fee of £12 before the end of March. After that date it will cost £15.

Last year, more than 600 women took part in the Starlight Walk, raising £55,000. You can sign up at www.prospect-hospice.net/starlight