A CHARITY champion who has spent a decade organising starlit strolls through Oxford hopes to rally crowds for a milestone march next month.

Headington hospice Sobell House will host its tenth Moonlight Stroll on July 16, when hundreds of fancy-dressed fundraisers will promenade through the city under the stars.

Kevin Game, who has been organising the annual event since it began, said: "It's our biggest single fundraising event of the year and now this is our tenth year which has really blown us away – at our first one we thought it would be great to keep going for two or three, and ten years down the line we have raised about £800,000.

"We came up with the idea in a meeting and it snowballed from there – it just got bigger and bigger.

"It's now a huge event for us, which all comes down to the efforts of the walkers themselves."

Mr Game said he hoped proceeds from next month's walk could help to fund ambitious plans to extend the hospice, based at the Churchill Hospital, and provide better care for terminally-ill patients.

The improvements will mark Sobell House's 40th anniversary, which will also be recognised by the Moonlight Stroll's 1970s fancy dress theme.

Mr Game said: "It was the era of our birth so we are really hoping there will be lots of afros and flares – but possibly not platforms. We wanted the walk to feel quite funky.

"A lot of people don't really go into Oxford at night so it's nice to see the city again with a different vibe. Everybody is up for a great time looking for group support.

"Oxford can be intimidating but you don't get that, you find that the clubbers and drinkers are on your side. It's all about experiencing our beautiful city from a different perspective - the street lights are lit and it's an easy stroll.

"You can take time to look up and see the very best of the city."

Participant numbers this year have hit the halfway point compared to previous years, but Mr Game hoped more would join within the next few weeks.

He said: "Fundraising is really key for us. We don't ask people to go out and raise thousands - if everyone just raised £100, that's just a tenner from 10 mates; about the price of two pints in Oxford."

The specially-extended 10 mile route through central Oxford will remain a mystery until walkers get their maps on the night, as they gather at the starting line at 10.30pm.

For more information or to sign up to the event, which costs £22 to join, visit sobellhouse.org.