A GROUP of supermarket workers are donning their walking shoes in memory of a colleague who died last year.

The ten-strong team from Asda in Bishop Auckland are doing the Butterwick Midnight Walk to raise money for the hospice where their late colleague Barbara Sparks was treated.

Great-grandmother Mrs Sparks lived in Bishop Auckland, and worked at Asda for over 20 years.

She was diagnosed with cancer soon after her retirement, and received treatment at the Butterwick Hospice in the town before her death.

Team member June Lowery paid tribute to Mrs Sparks’ sense of humour and said: "Barbara was lovely. She was a character, and always game for a laugh. She had a heart of gold."

The Midnight Walk takes place at Sedgefield Racecourse on June 20, raising money for Butterwick Hospices in the region.

To sponsor the Asda team, visit the Bishop Auckland store’s Customer Services desk.