ABBA-solutely unforgettable: Dancing Queen Lucy's Starlight Hike for Sue Ryder
A woman from Stamford will be joining hundreds of walkers stepping out at this year’s Sue Ryder Starlight Hike Peterborough to celebrate the life of someone special.
Lucy Cowlishaw, 43, from Stamford, will be walking in loving memory of her mum, Sue and joined by a group of friends and family fondly known as The Dancing Queens.
“Mum was the life and soul of every party,” Lucy recalls. “She loved a glass of wine, adored her grandchildren, and was always the first on the dance floor – she was our very own Dancing Queen. That’s why we walk. To talk about her, remember her, and keep her memory alive.”
Lucy first took part in the hike just two months after Sue passed away in July 2023 following a six-and-a-half-year battle with motor neurone disease. “It wasn’t sad. It was fun, lively, and really beautiful,” Lucy shares. “People dressed up in lights and angel wings, there were food and drink stalls, music playing. Even our pre-walk warm-up was hilarious – some of my friends were a bit uncoordinated, they were going right when everyone else was going left! But it was just really good fun.”
Alongside the Dancing Queens, Lucy will be joined by her dad, who cared for Sue during her illness. “He can’t walk the full route any more, but he comes at the start and finish to cheer us on. That first year, he did a couple of kilometres. It’s about all of us coming together - for each other, for him, and for Mum.”
Sue stayed at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice on three separate occasions, spending her final days there during her last visit, in July 2023.
Lucy explains: “The staff there were incredible. They had little jokes with mum and dad and got on with them really well. Her room had doors onto the garden, so she could see outside. It’s such a beautiful, calming place.
“At first, Mum was certain she wanted to pass away at home. But after just one day in the hospice - and without any encouragement from us - she told us, ‘I want to stay here.’
“They just understood her illness and treated her with incredible dignity and kindness. It was the first time my dad felt comfortable leaving her side.”
From birthday celebrations and cake, to allowing her dog to visit, the hospice provided comfort and kindness in the hardest moments. “They changed everything,” Lucy says. “It wasn’t just end-of-life care - it was real care. Real understanding. It was remarkable.”
Reflecting on the final months of her mum’s life, Lucy shared: “We had no prior experience with hospice care - none of us had ever known someone who received it or passed away in a hospice. So, to discover that this level of specialist care was free was truly astonishing. Thanks to the hospice, those last six months were far more manageable than we ever thought possible.”
Last year, flooding meant Sue Ryder Starlight Hike Peterborough had to be called off. But Lucy and her group didn’t let that stop them. “We all wore our t-shirts and light-up crowns, went to my parents' local pub, took photos and talked about Mum,” she recalls.
Later, they mapped a 10km walk themselves, starting at Lucy’s house, winding through Stamford and Burghley House, and ending at the London Inn for lunch. “We even got the kids involved. It just felt right - we’d made the effort, people had sponsored us, and it was about honouring Mum.”
Together, the group has raised thousands for Sue Ryder over the past few years - from fundraising at Sue’s funeral to Lucy’s partner running the London Marathon. But this year, Lucy says it’s more about gathering than fundraising.
“It’s not a race. You can walk a couple of kilometres or the full route. You can bring dogs. There’s music, a memory tree, and it’s all lit up – it’s really special. For me, it’s about our group, supporting my dad, remembering my mum, and just being together.”
Sue Ryder Starlight Hike Peterborough starts from Ferry Meadows in Nene Park at 7pm on Saturday 4 October, and follows a beautifully lit 5 or 10k route through the stunning country park.
As Lucy looks ahead to this year’s event, she says: “It’s a day that can’t be moved. It’s in the diary. And as long as the hike continues, we’ll keep showing up - with light-up crowns and Dancing Queen energy. It’s our way of celebrating Mum and saying thank you to the place that gave her the peace and dignity she deserved.”
Sign up and help Sue Ryder be there when it matters most. Every step helps fund expert, compassionate care for people at the end of life. To register or find out more, visit: sueryder.org/StarlightPeterborough
You can support Lucy’s fundraising here: