I am incredibly lucky that I don’t have to walk alone but have the company, in person of the Mayor’s Consort (otherwise known as my husband) and we are both now feeling fitter and healthier - if not turning a little blue at the moment. Who knew it would snow in April!!
Since 29 March we have been able to travel outside our home town of Farnham and get out and about in other parts of wonderful Waverley. We will try to get to as many of the really great country walks in the borough as we can and since we have been allowed out of Farnham we have already visited Godalming Lammas Lands and Bramley Village. It was great to be joined on our Bramley walk by the chairman of the parish council who kindly gave up his time to take us around and show us the ‘sights’ of Bramley (in a socially distanced way of course). We may have strayed into Guildford borough for a very few steps but I took off the 0.0001 of a mile at the end!
I am now at 90+ miles, so the end is in sight for the walking part of my 100+100+100 challenge. This first part of my challenge has been very enjoyable, although hard and long and extremely cold at times but please do not forget that the aim of the challenge is to help raise money for the three small but beautiful charities I am supporting. They are Home Start, 40 Degreez and the Sea Cadets - these three charities support young people and families who have been really affected by the pandemic and this will continue to be the case. I mentioned a little about the Home Start Charity previously but here is a Case Study from their local work which tells the story even better.
‘The family was referred to us by the Perinatal Team. The family were living in crowded conditions and mum was pregnant. Mum had a history of poor mental health. The family were matched with a volunteer and visited once a week – helping mum to keep the house tidy, talking to her about her anxieties and stresses and, whenever possible, giving her some time to herself to catch up on sleep, etc. When the lockdown happened, the volunteer kept in weekly contact with mum by phone. The family were on a low income and hit hard by the lockdown as dad was unable to work. Home-Start were able to give them food vouchers donated by a local charity and deliver food bank parcels as well as provide activities for the children. The family moved in to a larger house. During this time, the volunteer was able to help them to manage the stress and logistics of slowly boxing up their belongings whilst still having the children at home. A strong friendship has developed between mum and the volunteer and Home-start will continue to support the family for as long as they need it. It has been a very challenging year for many families. Volunteers are now able to return to family homes giving support where needed.’
All three of the charities are all finding funding difficult in these times we find ourselves in, so please help by visiting my JustGiving page by clicking here. It does not have to be a big donation as every little will help. Thank you.
