We held our 39th annual North Downs Walk on Sunday 9th June. We enjoyed ideal walking weather, probably the best turnout ever, and one of the best results in recent years.
As ever, the variety of routes, from 1 mile to 9 miles including a climb up the North Downs, attracted a full range of ages and abilities of walkers, including Guides, Air Cadets, keen hikers and some family teams. Almost 400 walkers had pre-registered and downloaded sponsor forms and many more entered on the day, making a donation to CRUK. There were over 450 walkers in total.
Preliminary calculations, made on the day based on the pledges on walkers’ sponsorship forms, are that the Walk will have raised about £24,500 once Gift Aid is included, of which about two-thirds will go to CRUK and the rest to causes nominated by the walkers.
President Geoff Haffenden said, “This is a fantastic result and a real community effort involving the walkers, volunteers, local farmers and of course our sponsor. Well done everyone who made the walk happen.”
Chas Bedford, chairman of the organising committee paid tribute to the small army of volunteers who acted as route marshals, greeted walkers at checkpoints, registered walkers and sponsor forms, and staffed the kitchen – producing over 500 ploughman’s lunches, strawberries and cream, and hot and cold drinks. “A lot of walkers have praised how friendly and professional our helpers were. I want to thank all of them. I also want to thank Family Funeral Service, our event sponsor, who have underwritten all our expenses, meaning that every penny raised in sponsorship has gone to the charities and not to overheads.”
However, this is not just a one-day event. Planning and behind-the-scenes preparation started last autumn, with reconnaissance walks to check the route, an inventory and repairs of signage and other equipment, and the beginning of the marketing campaign. When online registration opened in March, the marketing stepped up a gear with bulk emailing, social media, posters and flyers, and we also started communicating with walkers and preparing the forms used by the registration teams on the day.
On the day, we had a team of 60 volunteers, and some bought-in talent providing first aid coverage and the live music. The volunteers were Rotary members, our families and friends and a group of sixth-formers from Oakwood Park Grammar School. The admin team greeted all the walkers, processed their sponsor forms, and collected cash, card payments and pledges. The kitchen team produced over 500 ploughman’s lunches as well as handling clear-up and the recycling point (part of Rotary’s commitment to the environment). Out on the course we manned five checkpoints and had teams of route marshals to mark the route and keep walkers safe.
After the event, our treasurer Duncan, will be working to collect the remaining pledges and compile the amounts to be paid to CRUK and other charities, following which we can distribute the cheques and award the trophies to the best-performing fundraisers.
And by then, we will already be planning the 2025 Walk.
Weald of Kent Rotary have been running the North Downs Walk since 1985, missing only 2020 due to lockdowns, and plan to continue running it as long as there are walkers. Next year will be both the 40th Walk and the 50th anniversary of the club. The provisional date is Sunday 8th June 2025