A pair of wonderful walkers who raised thousands of pounds for charity are this week’s Local Heroes.

Melanie Staunton, from Worthing, and Natalie Reardon, from Lancing, have raised a total of £3,665 by taking part in St Barnabas House hospice’s Night to Remember fundraisers.

In the annual event, which last took place in June, more than 1,000 women walked a seven, 13 or 20-mile route around Worthing under the stars.

Melanie, 40, was awarded the trophy for ‘top individual fundraiser’ at this year’s event after single-handedly securing £1,165 in sponsorship.

She said: “I decided at the beginning of the year to start volunteering at St Barnabas and helping to run the coffee shop because a few friends have had people close to them who have been cared for there.

“Also, I’ve lost 12 stone and when I weighed 30 I couldn’t walk around the corner, let alone do a midnight walk. So the walk was to face my fears too. I’m really pleased at being able to raise so much. I think people feel inspired by my weight-loss story and that’s why they’ve been generous.”

Fellow fundraiser Natalie Reardon celebrated after completing her fourth 13-mile midnight walk. She has raised more than £2,500 for St Barnabas House since she lost her father Bill in 2010.

Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, which had already spread to his spine. As he became more ill, his GP put the family in contact with St Barnabas House’s palliative care team at the hospice in Worthing. Initially reluctant to talk about his condition, he found solace in being around like-minded people who cared and empathised.

Natalie said: “We all had a preconceived idea of what a hospice would be like. However, we were shocked to find how wrong we all were. St Barnabas House was a happy place filled with caring people and dignity.

“My father spent the last three weeks of his life in the hospice and he couldn’t have been more comfortable or in a better place. Not only did they care for him but the whole of my family too. I heard about Night to Remember through a mum at school and decided I would take part in memory of my dad and to give something back to the charity that helped us so much.

“To be able to raise more than £2,500 for the charity in only four years has been amazing and I look forward to breaking the £3,000 mark when I attempt the 13-mile walk for the fifth time in 2015.”

For more about Night to Remember, visit www.nighttoremember.org.uk. Details about the work of St Barnabas House are at www.stbh.org.uk.