Legacy
Legacy
Please note: this post is 112 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
On Saturday 12th September, 24 brave supporters walked 50km in the Thames Path Challenge in aid of North London Cares. It was certainly a walk to remember, with untold laughter, a few tears and plenty of blisters!
We all arrived at Bishop's Park in Putney at 7:15am. This is where the walk began! The tents were buzzing with activity, the anticipation of what was to come palpable in the air. After we'd searched for a bacon butty and much needed coffee hit, we met our fellow challengers from sister charity South London Cares before doing a Zumba warm-up!
And before we knew it, we were counting down; 5...4...3...2...1! We were off!
We got off to a great start. The route was beautiful, the weather gorgeous and energy levels high. We passed beautifully sights such as Richmond, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court. Conversations of favourite TV shows, food and our summer holiday adventures kept us entertained for miles.
Tweets from our friends and supporters also kept spirits high and were a welcome pick me up!
For all of us, food featured heavily during the walk. There was nothing we enjoyed more than tucking into our lunch, or snacking on a bag of sweets, nuts or devouring homemade cakes!
The second stretch of the walk was tough. 25km in, all of us were feeling physically tired and mentally drained. The thought "will we finish this?" crossed our minds. The end seemed so far away. But our volunteers were amazing. They battled the walking demons, kept smiling and kept on walking, in spite of blisters and sore feet! They even had the energy to strike a pose!
As the sun began to set on Runnymede, the 50km mark was in our sights. Some people even found the energy to dash to the finish line! With a glass of prosecco in one hand and a finisher's medal in the other, our volunteers reflected on what had been a tough but incredibly fun day. 50km had been conquered in under 11 hours; unless you were Alex, who ran the final 22km and finished in a casual 7 hours 20 minutes! We were also treated to some donated goodies; cakes from Hummingbird Bakery and delicious beer from Canopy Beer! Thanks guys!
We're so proud of the team who took on the challenge. Thank you. You've made a massive difference. With each step, kilometre and blister (!) you were walking towards making your older neighbours feel vibrant, visible and valued. All our volunteers are stars - and you make this community network what it is.
If you would like to take on a challenge for North London Cares, we'd love to hear from you! You can see more information here. Alternatively, you can get in touch with me on [email protected] for more information.