Released: 07 February 2006

Salts Healthcare is asking Linkline readers to give up an hour or so of their time to join in a unique event to raise both awareness and money for people with skin disease.

A number of skin care charities are joining forces with the British Skin Foundation to support its Walk for Skin event – a series of short sponsored walks at a variety of museums, country parks and stately homes across the country. Each walk will be about four miles long and should take around an hour to complete. Rather than one national event, the shorter walks will enable people to participate in the event wherever they are.

Salts’ Marketing Manager, Caroline Cowin said: “This is a great way to enjoy some country scenery, get some fresh air and exercise, meet friends and to play a part in a national fundraising event. Unlike many similar events, you won’t have to pay a registration fee to take part and you aren’t expected to raise vast quantities of money – every little helps. All you have to do is register your details before the walk begins.”

Walks are taking place at 11 venues, many of which are offering a discount for any walkers who wish to visit the venue after the event. Salts is sponsoring the West Midlands walk starting at Himley Hall and Park in Dudley. Himley Hall is a great Palladian mansion, situated between Kingswinford and Wombourne. Its 180 acres of grounds were designed by Capability Brown to include a great lake fed by a series of waterfalls from a higher chain of smaller pools. Our walk takes us from the grounds of the hall into Baggeridge Country Park. Here we pass the park's chain of lakes en route to the visitor centre where walkers can take refreshments at the café. The walk then continues giving fantastic views of the local area. We then return to Himley Hall where the walk can be followed by a visit to the hall or a stroll around the lake.

Caroline added: “Salts is very proud to be sponsoring the event at Himley Hall and equally proud to display the BSF logo on our product packaging as part of our ongoing relationship with them in conjunction with our research into healthy stoma skin. We’d love to see as many of you as possible at Himley Hall, but we’re sure the venues in other locations will be just as spectacular and you’ll have a great day out wherever you are.”

A limited number of registration forms are available from Salts Healthcare – please call 0121 333 2000 and ask to be put through to the Marketing department - or by visiting the BSF website at www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/walk and clicking on ‘Registration’.

The full list of walk dates and venues:

14 May
East Midlands - Wollaton Deer Park, Nottingham
South – Beaulieu Abbey and Motor Museum, near Southampton
South Wales - Cosmeston Lakes and Medieval Village, near Cardiff

20 May
West Midlands – Himley Hall, Birmingham,
South West – The Gorge Walk, Cheddar Caves and Gorge, Somerset

21 May
North - Bramham Park, near Leeds
North East – Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum, near Newcastle
North West – Sefton Park, Liverpool
Northern Ireland – Belfast Castle
London – Greenwich Park
Scotland – Holyrood Park, Edinburgh

For more information, please email: bsfevents@bad.org.uk, tel. 020 7391 6352 or visit www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk