PEOPLE are once again being invited to step out for a nighttime charity walk.

Sue Ryder is staging its popular annual Starlight Hike Worth Valley.

And this year participants can choose to enter a five-kilometre walk, being offered for the first time alongside the traditional 10k event.

The hike, again being sponsored by Stirk Lambert & Co Accountants, takes place on Saturday, October 7.

Participants – many sporting fancy dress, flashing headwear and neon face paint – will assemble at Oxenhope Station, from 7pm.

A Starlight Express train will then take the hikers to the start for a marshalled walk – following a route through villages, countryside and the Manorlands hospice grounds, where people will have the opportunity to place a poignant dedication in honour of someone special to them.

Hayley Ibbotson, senior community fundraiser at Manorlands, says: "It’s wonderful to be able to bring our community together again for a special evening in celebration of loved ones, whilst raising funds so Sue Ryder can continue to be there when it matters for families going through the most difficult times of their lives.

"Our Sue Ryder teams work tirelessly to ensure that our patients' symptoms are managed so the end of people’s lives can be filled with friendship, family and love in those final moments together, and by taking part in Starlight Hike Worth Valley people will be helping us to provide more expert and compassionate palliative care and bereavement support.

"We’d like to thank Stirk Lambert & Co Accountants for its ongoing support, as well as the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for putting on the incredible Starlight Express train to help make this a truly special and memorable night."

Richard Hudson, of Stirk Lambert & Co Accountants, says: "We’re really proud to be sponsoring the event for a seventh year. Sue Ryder is a charity which provides invaluable support to so many people in our community. We hope lots of walkers will pull on their brightest outfits for a night under the stars to celebrate the lives of loved ones as well as helping to raise vital funds."

Tickets cost £18 for adults and £10 for children aged six to 17. Entry is free for those five and under. People registering before September 10 will receive 20 per cent off. Discounts are also available for groups of ten or more.

For more details and to enter, visit sueryder.org/starlightworthvalley.