Birmingham hospice aims to beat record

You’ll never get an easier chance to become a world-beater.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is going onesie mad as it gears up for a hilarious event this autumn. The Birmingham Onesie Walk is to take place on Sunday, October 27 at 11am and is being dubbed ‘the most comfortable event’ the city has ever seen.

The five-mile sponsored walk starts and finishes at the ICC in Broad Street and includes a ‘One-mile Onesie Wander’ for families with little ones, or people who feel unable to complete the full five miles. It is also hoped the event will seize the world record for the most people in onesies at one place at one time, currently standing at 700.

Organisers are expecting a dazzling array of onesie designs, as people take to the streets.  Hospice events officer Alice Higgins said: “Onesies are the must-have clothing item for 2013 so we couldn’t let the year go by without getting the community together in these sartorial wonders! The event is being put on in a tongue-in-cheek spirit, but there is a serious reason for it. Each year the Hospice is called upon to care for 1,000 people who have been given the news that their illness is incurable.  We are there for these people and their families at home and at our specialist facility, to ensure they are able to enjoy the best possible quality of life for the time that they have left.

“So while people might feel slightly silly putting on a onesie, they’ll be doing so in the knowledge that they’re doing something amazing to help others facing the biggest challenge of their life.”

The countdown to the Onesie Walk began in earnest today when staff from the Hospice’s corporate charity supporters, Barclays Lending Operations in Snowhill and law firm Gateley in Edmund Street descended on Brindleyplace to show their support.

Paul Whyman, of Barclays, said: “I wouldn’t like to admit how many of us actually own onesies, but I think it’s safe to say we enjoyed putting them on today in support of the Hospice, which is doing fantastic work across Birmingham.”

Emma Taylor, of Gateley, added: “When we heard about this event, we knew we just had to take part. We’ve already got Gateley onesies and are looking forward to putting them on in aid of this brilliant local charity.”

For more information about the Birmingham Onesie Walk please go to www.birminghamonesiewalk.org.uk or follow the campaign on Twitter at @OnesieWalk

People who enter before September 16 can do so at the discounted rate of £7 for adults, £3 for children and £16 for a family of four.