A SCHOOL community says it will be proud to welcome charity walkers home at the end of their fundraising challenge.

Furness Academy, in Barrow, will be the finishing point for the St Mary's Hospice Walk to Remember event on Friday night.

More than 375 ladies and girls will walk the 10 miles from St Mary's Hospice in Ulverston to the secondary school off Park Drive, Barrow.

This is the 10th year of the evening sponsored walk staged in aid of the hospice and sponsored by Furness Building Society.

There will be a sea of pink as ladies pound the pavements of Ulverston, Dalton and Barrow. As well as being kitted out in pink, they often also wear flashing bunny ears and headbands.

The walkers will set off at 8pm and they are all due to make it to the school by around midnight.

This will be the last Walk to Remember for a while as the charity will rest the successful event to make room for some new ones.

Year 11 pupils at Furness Academy may be busy with their GCSEs, but they have found time to decorate the school canteen will balloons and decorations for the event. Some of them will also be welcoming and congratulating the walkers as they come in.

Furness Academy will also be providing drinks, cakes and snacks for the fundraisers as their contribution to the event.

Staff and pupils from the academy will also be pulling on their trainers and sporting pink to take part in the walk.

Amy Dempster, of Furness Academy said: "This has marked the beginning of a partnership with St Mary’s that we hope to continue. We are providing a finale venue with decorations, music, drinks and food for those who complete the walk. We have a number of staff and students taking part in the walk and also coming along to cheer the walkers on."

St Mary's Hospice thanked Furness Academy for the support of the school community.

Registration is available at www.stmaryshospiceulverston.yapsody.co.uk. or by calling the fundraising team on 01229 580305.