ONE of Britain's best known comedians has given her support to North Devon's Nightwalk event.

Jenny Eclair returned to The Plough Arts Centre, in Torrington for the second time on Saturday and, took the opportunity to say how great she thought the women-only event was, in supporting the North Devon Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Organisers hope this year's event will have a record number of entries, with 1,600 walkers already signed up.

The comedian's support has given the event another boost.

Jenny, well known for her role in the BBC Grumpy Old Women series, said: "An event like Nightwalk is fantastic because it's just for the girls – it means you can have a real laugh and enjoy the sense of camaraderie that you get on a ladies-only night out."

Nightwalk 2011 is more accessible than ever to women across the region with an additional starting point in Torrington.

Jenny added: "It's great to see that Nightwalk is coming to Torrington, and I'm sure lots of local ladies will take part and support the local leg of the event." Such a group of local ladies already signed up were lucky enough to meet the comedian before her Plough gig. Janet Woods and Nicola Smith are sisters-in-law.

Janet's mother and aunt have both recently lost the battle to cancer, but benefited from the hospice's services before they died.

Janet, from Wembworthy, said her aunt had chosen to die at the hospice as a way of taking the pressure from family members. She said she also saw how her mother had benefited from being visited by hospice nurses.

She said: "We have had such great support even after their deaths and the staff at the hospice really do go above and beyond the call of duty.

"This will be our second Nightwalk and I think celebrities like Jenny Eclair giving her support does make a difference. I was a bit nervous about meeting her though."

Another one of the five Nightwalkers who gathered at The Plough was Kathleen Wood, from Torrington. She will be embarking on her first Nightwalk.

She said: "I have had quite a few friends die of cancer, one very recently, and this sort of event gives a collective feel of making a difference.

"There are five of us from Torrington WI who will be forming a team and I think celebrities getting involved gives a sense of the scale of the event we are all taking part in."

Although the Journal's early-bird cheap rate registration has now ended, there is still plenty of time to sign up for Nightwalk 2011, remembering there are starting points at Braunton, Bideford, Barnstaple, and this year Torrington.

Gerard Fawcitt , from North Devon Hospice's fundraising team, is delighted that the 2011 Nightwalk is returning to Torrington.

He said: "It is great to see Torrington back on the Nightwalk map, and I'm sure that the local ladies will turn out in force to support the event, as they have done before to help us reach a total of 2,000 walkers."

To enter Nightwalk, visit www.nightwalk.co.uk, call 01271 347224 or 01271 347204 or email nightwalk@northdevonhospice.org.uk.