Magnificent Result

The news that Granny Trek 2008 has raised £38,000 is wonderful. 

When you consider the tremendous publicity we had for the 2007 event, with thousands of people touring Charlton Farm before it opened, and also the involvement of many Barclays Bank walkers on their £-matching scheme, it would have been unrealistic to expect a repeat of the 700 walkers and £70,000.  (Barclays contribution alone was a substantial £21,750)

Granny Trek 2008 registrations started slowly, but as the date drew near, reports emanated from HQ in Barnstaple – the hub of registration – that numbers were rapidly rising.  On the eve of the event, the weather forecasters were promising gales and torrential rain.  Would our walkers prefer their firesides?

On the morning of April 27^th, Rudi, Fritz and I stood by the registration tent waiting to welcome the Granny Trekkers.  Miraculously we basked in glorious sunshine.  People began to arrive, not in a thin trickle but in crowds.  They waited with good-humoured patience as the registrars struggled to check them in and by the time the last walker was headed for the bluebell woods, more than five hundred had been counted.

Mathematics is not my forté, but I reckon that each of the 700 walkers in 2007 raised an average of £69 including Gift Aid – a truly magnificent effort.  However, the average for £2008 was £76 – an incredible achievement.

Since the Granny Trek journey began, good fortune has smiled on us.  This was true again in April 2008, as the sun shone until the last walker arrived back at the refreshment tent.  Then the darkening sky began to spit raindrops that rapidly multiplied to a torrent – soaking Bill and Jenny, who were ‘sweeping’ the six mile route for rubbish and lost souls (there were none, I’m glad to say) and by the time we arrived home in Woolavington the skies rang out with thunder.

What will next April 26th bring?  Will we attract even more Granny Trekkers?  Will we raise even more money?  You may have noticed on the home page that the total so far is £178,000.  Surely we can sail passed the £200,000 mark and take a giant step towards the £300,000.  Get on the phone soon and book your place please. Phone 01271 325270 or e-mail grannytrek@chsw.org.uk.

Tony and I are grateful to have been relieved of the mammoth share of the work, firstly by Children’s Hospice South West taking on the preparation, production and distribution of the leaflets, registration of walkers and subsequently taking in the money, and secondly by the Rotarians of Bristol Severnside planning the routes, preparing the maps, providing marshals and managing the car park – as well as physically erecting the ‘base camp’.  Louise Turner, community fund raiser at Charlton Farm, had in previous years done valiant work getting the site ready, with the support of husband Paul, so they too benefit hugely from the staunch commitment of the Rotarians.