LOROS Hospice broke new ground on Saturday evening when they held their Twi-Night In, an online, live version of the charity’s annual Twilight Walk around the city.
Accompanied by music, tribute acts, Zumba and Clubbercise, thousands of LOROS supporters tuned in to Facebook and YouTube on Saturday at 7pm to do 10,000 steps in their own homes instead of 10km across Leicester.
With LOROS patron, comedian and actor Greg Davies setting Taskmaster challenges for the viewers at home, and local-boy-turned-Hollywood-actor Charlie Clapham performing ‘quarantine karaoke’, supporters were also treated to fun and silliness as well as raising money in memory of their loved ones.
Laura Betts, Fundraising Manager at LOROS said, “Our Twilight Walk is probably the biggest event of our year, and brings in the most donations. It’s also a very special event for us – many of our supporters walk in memory of friends and relatives every year so it’s a chance to remember and toast loved ones too.
“We really didn’t want to cancel, so came up with our live alternative, the Twi-Night In. It was a little bit experimental but it all went off without a hitch and the support we got was amazing! The videos for Greg Davies’ Taskmaster challenges poured in and we had a job keeping up with them all!”
To date, LOROS’ Twi-Night In has raised £45,000 but the charity expects that total to grow in the coming days as more donations are confirmed.
“People have been very generous and we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us, as well as our sponsor, Dunelm. We would love to hit £60,000 as this would pay for 100 days of care for our patients, so please do consider supporting us.”
The event has come at a difficult time for charities, with many, including LOROS, struggling with the knock-on effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Twi-Night has given us all a lift here at LOROS. COVID-19 is having a real, long-lasting impact on our charity. Many events have been cancelled or postponed and that’s created a huge dent in our income. But with the kind of amazing community support we had on Saturday, we really hope we can weather the storm.”
