A TIDE of orange will be on the move from Dorchester to Weymouth as colleagues and family of a well-loved nurse step out in her memory.

Staff from the Purbeck Ward at Dorset County Hospital will be joined by the family of Mary Dale as they take on a sponsored walk between the two towns.

They will set out from the hospital at 10am on Saturday, September 27 and take a scenic route via Max Gate, Sutton Poyntz and Bowleaze Cove before ending up on Weymouth seafront.

The total distance will be around ten miles and the walkers will be raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care and the dementia day room on the Purbeck Ward, which they hope to see named after Mary.

Staff nurse Karen Baylis said 13 of Mary’s former colleagues will be taking on the trek and they will be joined by 11 members of Mary’s family, including her husband George, daughter Liz and her grandchildren.

The walkers will all be wearing bright orange t-shirts to highlight their efforts in memory of Mary, who died from stomach cancer last year.

Karen said: “Mary nursed all her life – in accident and emergency back at Weymouth and District and then at Dorset County Hospital on Purbeck Ward.

“There must be a lot of people out there who she helped over the years.

“She was a great nurse to work with and a well respected colleague.”

Mary was given the affectionate nickname ‘Mary Bear’ by colleagues.

Her husband George said she went straight from school into nursing and was in the profession for more than 50 years.

He joked: “Nursing came first and I came second.”

Daughter Liz said the family were keen to help raise as much funds as possible, having raised around £300 so far to add to the £500 target set by the nurses.

She added that the two causes were both very close to the family’s hearts.

Liz said: “Marie Curie looked after Mary in her last days and she obviously worked at the Purbeck Ward.”

To sponsor the walkers visit justgiving.com/marybeardale.