The Oakhaven Walk 2026 raises a fantastic £187K for end-of-life care and support

Oakhaven Hospice is delighted to announce that The Oakhaven Walk 2026 has raised a fantastic £187,000 to fund the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care and support provided to families throughout the New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities.

The Oakhaven Walk took place on Saturday 16th May 2026, with over 650 participants walking to Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington from Sandbanks (approx 26 miles), Mudeford (approx 13 miles) and Barton on Sea (approx 8 miles).

The event attracts walkers of all ages, who enjoy the relaxed and uncompetitive nature of the event. As they trekked along the spectacular Dorset and Hampshire coastline, this year’s walkers were blessed with sunshine and a light sea breeze at the start of the day, followed by ‘refreshing’ showers to cool them in the afternoon.

Jill West, Oakhaven’s Community and Events Fundraising Manager, said: “Support for this year’s Oakhaven Walk has been phenomenal! On behalf of everyone at Oakhaven, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all the walkers and everyone who supported our fundraising walk. You joined together to make every moment matter for your local hospice and have raised a record-breaking amount in sponsorship.

“Many thanks to our wonderful Volunteers, without whom the event could not have gone ahead. You kept our walkers going with your smiles and encouragement, pointing them in the right direction, registering them at checkpoints and handing out refreshments at just the right moment.

“We are very grateful also to Land & Wave and Hoburne Naish Holiday Park for welcoming us, and to Rapid Relief for providing water. Thank you also to everyone at Keyhaven Yacht Club who provided refreshments to participants as they walked past.

“MANY thanks to our event sponsor, Pennyfarthing Homes, whose fantastic support for 2025, 2026 and 2027 is helping to facilitate our planning and underwrite a lot of the event costs, meaning that every penny raised in sponsorship by our walkers will directly support families living in our communities.”

Matt Dukes, Managing Director of Pennyfarthing Homes, comments: “Supporting Oakhaven Hospice each year is something that Pennyfarthing Homes is incredibly proud of. It is a truly worthy local cause, and one that means a great deal to our team and the wider community. As a family‑owned housebuilder that has been based in this beautiful part of England for over 40 years, our roots here run deep; as does our long‑standing relationship with Oakhaven Hospice. Providing far more than end‑of‑life care, it offers vital support to families, friends and loved ones throughout life’s most difficult moments.

“Everyone at Pennyfarthing takes immense pride in knowing that our support helps make a difference to this invaluable charity and the people it cares for. Many members of the Pennyfarthing team, including myself, also enjoy taking part in the Oakhaven Walk themselves; it’s a special event that brings people together in a meaningful and uplifting way, celebrating the strength and spirit of our community.”

For nearly 35 years, Oakhaven Hospice has provided compassionate end-of-life care to patients and their loved ones, both in the hospice and in patients’ homes. The charity supports a community of over 150,000 people across the New Forest, Totton and Waterside. Demand is growing for Oakhaven’s vital services; currently, at any time, around 650 patients plus their families receive support in the Hospice and/or in their homes from the Oakhaven teams, free of charge.

In addition to patient referrals, Oakhaven Wellbeing provides specialist support to everyone in the community who is navigating a life-limiting illness, caring for a loved one or experiencing a loss or bereavement. Oakhaven Wellbeing is based at the Coates Centre in the grounds of Oakhaven.

All funds raised by the Walk will help to fund Oakhaven’s running costs, which last year amounted to £10 million. With only 14% of funding covered by the NHS, your local hospice relies on the kindness of donations, fundraising, gifts in wills and income generated by its charity shops and home care provider, Oakhaven Care Ltd, to cover the remaining 86% of costs.

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