DOZENS of relatives and friends of a much-missed ‘nana’ dressed as grandmothers and grandfathers for a sponsored walk held in her honour.

Muriel Foster died following a stroke in June, aged 82 – just four months after her husband Matty had passed away aged 80.

On Saturday (August 15), the day after what would have been Mrs Foster’s 83rd birthday, friends and family staged a granny-themed sponsored walk around the Gibside country estate, near Burnopfield, County Durham in aid of the Stroke Association.

There was also a coffee morning and children’s treasure hunt.

Mrs Foster’s daughter Lyn Fairish, 50, of Lanchester, said: “My mum’s stroke was a complete shock to our family, so we’re hoping to raise awareness of stroke, as well as funds to help support other people affected by stroke.

“We chose to hold the sponsored walk at Gibside Chapel grounds as it’s a place that holds many lovely memories for our family.

“Everybody loved it. We were getting a few funny looks but it was great. Even the children were dressed up as grannies and granddads.

“It went really well. Everyone enjoyed themselves in memory of my mam, their nana.

“Everyone was saying how proud they were. Mam would have been so proud. She would have been in tears of laughter at us all. She loved a good laugh.”

The coffee morning raised £272 and £224 has been pledged online at justgiving.com/lyn-fairish1, which is still open for further donations.

Lauren Flint, regional fundraiser at the Stroke Association, said: “With around 152,000 strokes a year in the UK – that’s around one every three-and-a-half minutes – it is vital that we have people who can raise funds for people affected by stroke.

“We’re really grateful to Lyn and her family for organising the sponsored walk.”

More than 5,500 people have a stroke in the North-East every year and more than 16,000 people in the area are living with a disability following a stroke. For more information, call 0303-30-33-100 or visit stroke.org.uk