Barry and his friend Alec are walking 1,000km across Spain to raise money for Winston’s Wish in memory of Barry’s daughter, Lauren. Winston’s Wish supported Lauren’s two small children and their family when Lauren died suddenly in 2016. Barry tells us why he decided to take on this incredible fundraising challenge.

Tell us about your fundraising challenge

My challenge is to walk over 1,000km across central Spain, from Seville to Santiago de Compostela, with Alec, my friend of over 50 years. We have completed a couple of the Camino pilgrimage routes to Santiago before, so we decided to tackle the longest and most enduring of all the routes, the Via de la Plata. The increased difficulty level is mainly due to the terrain and hot conditions.

We expect to walk an average of 25-35km a day over 40 days, with a few rest days to recover from fatigue and foot blisters. We’re not planning to take longer than 46 days in total to compete the route.

Why did you decide to support Winston’s Wish?

Our daughter Lauren was killed in October 2016 when a car mounted the kerb as she was walking to the gym. She was enjoying her maternity leave and preparing to return to her job. This left our grandchildren, Cara (two and a half years old) and Daniel (nine months old) without a mother.

Our son-in-law David was left with the children on his own, although he had support from his and Lauren’s families. None of us had the skills or know-how to tell our little ones what had happened and what effect this would have on their lives without their mummy.

David was put in touch with Winston’s Wish, and he formed a great relationship with a Winston’s Wish volunteer called Alison. Over the past five and a half years, David has been able to draw upon them to help him navigate all the difficult conversations he had to have with Cara and Daniel, and they will be there to support our family into the future.

Winston’s Wish have been a great support during times when we have all been lost for words – how to explain how, why and where their mummy has gone. The ongoing support we have is invaluable with our families ongoing bereavement and we can only thank them.

This challenge is our little way of highlighting the important role Winston’s Wish has played and continues to play in the lives of children who have been bereaved. They offer support at the start and continue the support to be there for a child as they grow. It’s giving us the opportunity to say thank you to all the unsung heroes of Winston’s Wish and try to support them and generate donations to sustain this great charity. We’re also raising money for Alder Bereavement Centre in Liverpool.

What are you looking forward to most about your challenge?

The finish!!! Besides that, I’m looking forward to exploring parts of Spain we don’t normally get to see. Also, getting the chance to meet other walkers, make new friends and share my family’s story which may help Winston’s Wish.

What do you think will be your biggest challenge?

The biggest worry is blisters. With the constant ponding of your feet on the hard, hot surfaces, it is difficult not to end up with some blisters.

At close on 66 years of age and with my footballing days well behind me, my main physical activity has become walking. The longer the walk, the greater the sense of achievement I feel. The physical exercise keeps me mobile and certainly helps with my erratic sleep patterns. The walking does help enormously with my mental state; however, each walk still stirs up a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when listening to my music playlist.

My past walks have been about whether ‘I’ had the mindset to complete a long endurance walk. Now I know I can complete what I started, and I now know I have the strength to complete this fundraising challenge in honour of our daughter Lauren.

Feel inspired?

Join #TeamWinston for a fundraising challenge and help us in our mission to ensure no child grieves alone. You can create a challenge like Barry and Alec or choose from our range of events.

Head over to our fundraising page and get inspired to do something incredible for bereaved children and young people.

The post Walking 1,000km in memory of my daughter appeared first on Winston's Wish Events.

Sophie is walking 400 miles in memory of her dad who died when she was 13 to raise money for Winston’s Wish. As well as raising money to help Winston’s Wish support other grieving young people, Sophie has found that her fundraising challenge has given her time to remember her dad and process her grief ahead of the 20th anniversary of his death.

Tell us about your fundraising challenge

I wanted to take on a challenge this year to mark the 20th anniversary of my dad’s death in May. I needed to think of something that I could do during lockdown and that would help me to keep my dad’s memory alive.

So many of my happiest childhood memories are of being on holiday with Dad and the rest of the family in Salcombe in Devon, so I decided to walk the equivalent distance from Birmingham, where I live, to Salcombe and back again – a total of 400 miles (644km). I started on 1st March and aim to finish on 16th May, the day of the 20th anniversary of my dad’s death.

Why did you decide to support Winston’s Wish?

My dad died when I was 13 and Winston’s Wish is exactly what I needed 20 years ago. Losing a parent is life-changing and where most children have a million and one things in common with their friends, this is unlikely to be one of them, and so it’s vital to get support and guidance from elsewhere.

To raise money for Winston’s Wish was an easy decision to make. The work Winston’s Wish does is incredible in being able to give hope to children, showing them that despite the trauma, they are able to go on and live a rewarding life.

Were you looking forward to your walking challenge?

The number of kilometres I need to cover averages about 60km per week for 11 weeks in a row, which I knew was going to be challenging! I also wondered how many blisters I would get along the way… I was really looking forward to getting started though, watching the kilometres add up over the weeks and reaching ‘Salcombe’ at the halfway point.

How have you found your fundraising challenge?

It has been great getting out in the fresh air every day, but I am glad the snow quickly disappeared, and the longer sunny evenings have come around! I have found some weeks tougher than others, but I have been sent some really lovely messages about Dad and reading these has been the motivation I need.

I initially set out on this challenge to honour my dad and raise money for Winston’s Wish, but it has given me so much more over the last few months. It has given me time to properly think about my dad, to think about all of the memories I have of him and the great times we had together. Grief never goes away and there are still times when I would do anything to be able to pick up the phone and speak to Dad. However, it also gives you a profound appreciation for life and this challenge has allowed me to reflect on the last 20 years and head towards the anniversary of his death with a better attitude towards it.

Feel inspired?

Take a hike by signing up to a walking challenge for Winston’s Wish! With treks happening all over the UK, there are plenty of destinations to visit and explore.

Choose from a range of scenic challenges and pick a distance of your choice, ranging from 5km to over 100km treks.

The post In memory of dad: Walking 400 miles to raise money for Winston’s Wish appeared first on Winston's Wish Events.