Following the success of last year's Walk and Roll charity event, WindReach Village and its patron sponsor, BTC Mobility, will hold its second annual event for walkers and rollers (wheelchairs) next weekend.

The event on Saturday, February 16 will begin at Windreach at 9.30 a.m. and finish at the same venue around noon. The entire community is encouraged to get involved.

General manager of BTC Mobility Stanley Wright, said: "We are very happy to be sponsoring this event again in 2002. It is one of our corporate goals, to support and improve the social framework of Bermuda.

"We see the WindReach Village facility's mission to `provide recreational education and work experience opportunities for Bermudians with special needs, of all ages, as an honourable one and hope that our sponsorship will help the organisation accomplish its mission."

Participants are asked to obtain pledges for this worthy cause and can collect forms from BTC Mobility's office on Victoria Street, or any of its authorised dealers: All Talk in St. George's, Audio Visual Electronics in Hamilton and Somerset, Island Satellite in Pembroke, Unlimited Supplies in Hamilton as well as at Sportseller, Positive Results and Noah's Ark. The form can also be downloaded from www.windreach.org

Registration begins at 9 a.m. in the lower level of the Activity Centre at WindReach and the first 150 registrants will receive free t-shirts and a giveaway. Additional surprises and giveaways will be presented at the end of the walk, including a luxurious weekend for two in Bermuda. To be eligible to win this prize, participants must complete more than one circuit of the route.

The event route is designed for wheelchair accessibility and starts and ends at Windreach to, as executive director Jacqueline Horsfield puts it, `help put the Warwick facility literally on the map'.

The executive director added: "This year there are two routes to choose from, offering participants a new sense of challenge. Beginning at WindReach Recreational Village on Spice Hill Road to South Shore, walkers can either head up Camp Hill for a 3k circuit or continue along to Horseshoe Road for the longer 5k route."

Organisers encourage participants to complete multiple circuits to increase pledge dollars. They will have marshalls - identified by bright shirts - all along the route, particularly identifying blind corners to alert traffic during the duration of the event.

Funds for the walk will enable WindReach to offer a spectrum of services to people of all ages and abilities at the purpose-built village on four tranquil acres in the heart of Warwick. Their motto is "WindReach - yours to share".