PIRATES abandoned the high seas to stroll through Oxford city centre and raise money for charity.

The annual Moonlight Stroll, in aid of Sobell House hospice at the Churchill Hospital, had a pirate theme on Saturday.

More than 1,000 people took part, and organisers hope to have raised £100,000.

Among those taking part was Naomi Mitchell, 28, from Carterton, who is a volunteer at the hospice’s Witney warehouse.

She has personal links to the hospice, as staff provided home care for her grandfather, Edward ‘Jock’ Ayres, before he died, as well as support for the whole family.

She said: “I’ve heard a lot over the years about how good it is and I just felt that it sounded like fun and I wanted to do my bit for charity. It was amazing, the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant and we were all cheering each other on.

“They are absolutely fabulous and wonderful at the hospice, brilliant people who made us feel comforted.”

She hopes to have raised about £100.

Hospice fundraiser Kevin Game said: “It was absolutely fantastic and the weather was fantastic too.

“I was cycling ahead of people to check the marshalls were in place so I got to see all the walkers along the way.”

The nine-mile walk, which started at St Edmund’s School, Woodstock Road, under cover of darkness at 10.30pm, is now in its fifth year and has raised £250,000 since it first started.

Each year individuals are invited to dress up according to a theme, with pirates selected for this year’s event.

Mr Game said: “There were some brilliant outfits.

“One girl had built herself a pirate ship out of cardboard and wore it like a pantomime horse – she looked pretty much dead on her feet by the time she got to the end.”

Nurse Lisa Jones, 31, from Headington, walked with three hospital colleagues.

Miss Jones, who is based at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Headington, said: “Because we work in the NHS, we know Sobell House and the service it provides.

“We feel it is a good cause and it relies so much on fundraising.”

The group has raised about £600.

She said: “Everyone was in good spirits. It was hard going towards the end but it was all good fun and I would definitely do it again.”