A BARROW woman is thanking a charity for the care given to her family by walking the Coniston to Barrow.

This will be the seventh time that 56-year-old Paula Herbert will take part in the Keswick to Barrow event.

The iconic event will take place on Saturday.

Paula has two teams of walkers taking part with seven members in each, with one team doing the Coniston to Barrow and the other taking on the Keswick to Barrow.

The teams will be raising funds for St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston and CancerCare.

She has also previously raised money for the Stroke Association.

“It’s just a way that I can pay back, that’s what I do it for,” said Paula. “I’m also doing the Great North Run in September for St Mary’s.”

Paula says you don’t realise just how important the hospice is until you need it.

She said: “It is so important. People don’t realise unless they’ve actually needed to use them.

“To me it was just St Mary’s Hospice, I didn’t think about it very much.

“But then my mother-in law died in St Mary’s and unfortunately my dad had had a stroke. I was away down at Cheltenham but my mother-in-law died before I got back.”

Paula also used St Mary’s Hospice’s Hospice at Home team to provide care for her mum.

“Then when I needed the Hospice at Home team they were just amazing. Just think of what they see day in and day out," she said.

“They would come every day and talk to my mum even though she couldn’t hear a word they were saying. They were so gentle and caring, and you just can’t put a price on that really.

“They’re amazing.”

You can make a donation to Paula’s walking page at: https://keswick2barrow.co.uk/donate/103430?cid2=103430