Bolton society to hold memorial walk for much-loved member

Bolton Walking and Outdoors Appreciation Society will be celebrating the life of one of its founding members following his tragic death last year.

Steven Carter, from Breightmet, was just 45 when he died in December 2025.

Colin Liptrot, director of the society, put forward the walk to remember him and for people to come together in his memory.

He said: “He was a big part of the group.

“He was just a big ball of energy really, he was well into doing all the stuff we were doing at the time.

“We used to go to the Lakes, North Wales, and Scotland and do a bit of wild camping.

“He had his dog with him, Lil, who was a Manchester Terrier and she was just as much a part of the group as he was.”

Dealing with such a loss from the group, they decided to come together and honour his memory with a walk which replicates the first ever walk they did, 15 years ago from Horwich to Edgworth.

The walk will take place on Saturday, August 29, and will start at The Bridge in Horwich at around 9 am and finish at The Strawberry Duck in Edgworth later that day.

Mr Carter’s sister, Helen, said that she wanted people to remember him as the positive, bubbly, and charismatic man that he was and mentioned that those taking part in the memory walk would be wearing flat caps and checked shirts, clothing he would not be seen without.

She said: “He was one of those people, as soon as he arrived in the room the whole room lit up and everybody wanted to speak to him, he was so much fun.”

Describing her brother as a real family man, Helen recalled all the fun and support Mr Carter offered to others throughout his life and wanted to focus on the energy and care he had for other people.

She said: “He was just brilliant and the one thing I really remember about him was his hugs.

“He gave great big bear hugs and the kids always said that as well, they loved giving him a cuddle and sitting on his knee.”

To get as many people as possible involved, Mr Liptrot decided to change the route slightly so that more people could come along and join from different points.

“We’re not quite doing the same route, and we’ve put more refreshment stops and places that people can join from along the way.”

He also said that he is looking forward to the community coming together to remember Mr Carter and the good times they shared together.

“We just want to celebrate Steven’s life on the walk.

“There will be lots of people we’ve not seen for years who used to come back in the day and share some stories and remember all the good times we had.

“If we can raise money for a good cause in the meantime, that’s great.”

You can donate to the fundraiser for the memorial walk as Bolton Walking is fundraising for Breaking Barriers NW.

Miss Carter also confirmed that Eventura, a company based in Westhoughton, was sponsoring the memorial walk to help raise more money for the charity.