First Light Walk – FAQs

It is a five mile walk.

Coaches start transporting people to the start from 5am and then every half hour.

Registration opens at 4am. 

The route will take you from Kessingland, along the beach to Lowestoft then along the promenade to South Pier. 

A map of the route will be emailed to you and available on our website.

Whilst most of the route is flat there are some gradients as well as walking on sand. 

The walk will take approximately one-two hours for a fit walker. There is no rush and we encourage all participants to go at their own pace.

The event is definitely not a race and there will be no pressure to finish in a certain time. There will be lead walkers as well as walkers at the back of the pack to ensure the last participants return safely.

You can take it at your own pace. However, we do recommend that you should train before taking part and that you feel comfortable that you will be able to complete a long run or walk. The First Light Walk is a fun event, designed for you to take at your own pace; it is not a race.

Entrants must be 10 years of age or over on day of registration.

Any walker under the age of 18 must include the name and authorisation of the parent/guardian who will be accompanying them on the walk on their registration form.

To make administration easier, we would encourage all groups of walkers to give themselves a group name. When signing up on Enthuse you will be given the option to add in your group name.

When you register, you will be asked what time coach you require.

There are surface car parks around the area that can be accessible 24 hours/day.

Toilet facilities will be available at the start/finish.

There will be water provided for walkers to take with them. 

As the walk is along the beach wheelchair access is made difficult. If you have any queries about access needs, please contact us to discuss further. Call 01473 723600 or email events.team@stelizabethhospice.org.uk 

No pets or animals are permitted on the First Light Walk except guide dogs.

We recommend that you wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

Your safety is of the utmost importance to us. Each group will have volunteer marshals walking with them. 

Registration will take place at South Pier Lowestoft. 

No. All participants will be responsible for their belongings and will need to take anything they bring on the walk.

The registration fee is £15 with the Early Bird offer until 23:59 on 31 March 2024. The cost will be £20 per person thereafter.

The fee covers the cost of administration, refreshments on route and your medal at the end. The registration fee ensures that all the sponsorship money you raise can go directly to helping our patients and their families receiving end of life care. The booking fee helps the hospice cover our event costs.

By signing up to the First Light Walk you will automatically receive your very own Enthuse Giving Page to start fundraising. Don't forget to share it with your supporters and kick start your fundraising efforts.

There is no minimum sponsorship ask for individuals or groups that sign up. However, as this is a big fundraising event for St Elizabeth East Coast Hospice we do encourage those that take part to raise what they can. A suggested figure to aim for would be £50 as an individual and £250 for groups.

You can ask each person that sponsors you to Gift Aid their donation by ticking the Gift Aid box on your sponsor form, if they are a UK taxpayer or pay Capital Gains Tax. For every £1 they donate, we receive an extra 25p.

Please send cheques to: Fundraising, St Elizabeth Hospice, 565 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8LX. Alternatively, you can bring the money in person to the Ipswich hospice.

If you have set up an Enthuse page, we automatically receive all donations made through the website, so you don't need to do anything!
Please do not bring sponsor money to the event.

Please do let us know if you have matched giving money to add to your sponsorship. We can chat through options with how you can pay in that money. 

A lot of companies have matched funding in place where they give a donation to their employees who do fundraising events. This is a really great way for you to boost your fundraising income. If you are unsure whether your company does matched funding please do ask. If you have any questions about matched giving please contact our Events team on events.team@stelizabethhospice.org.uk and they will be only too happy to chat through this further with you.

Yes. There are lots of ways in which you can support St Elizabeth East Coast Hospice.
Please spread the word amongst your colleagues, family, friends and neighbours and get them signed up too! The more that help with promoting this event, the more will sign up and get involved.             

We also need volunteer support to help the event run smoothly. There are lots of roles where we need volunteer help.
If you work for a company that might be interested in supporting the First Light Walk we would love to speak to them. Please do pass this onto anyone you know that might be interested.

If you'd like to know more about the event or have a question relating to the hospice and our fundraising please do email events.team@stelizabethhospice.org.uk or call T: 01473 723600