Charity Fundraising Walk - The 2020 Non Dorset Walk with the Malcolm Whales Foundation
Charity Fundraising Walk - The 2020 Non-Dorset Walk with the Malcolm Whales Foundation
2020 will be a year that we remember reading, “We are sorry, but this event has been cancelled” more often than not. Covid – 19 was not going to deter the Malcolm Whales Foundation from their fantastic fundraising efforts, but it would simply change the format of the well-loved Dorset Walk. Here at the Mintridge Foundation, we are incredibly grateful for the passion and commitment that the Malcolm Whales Foundation put to creating the Non-Dorset Walk! The goals of the charity remained unchanged, “to make a difference to the people who need our kindness more than ever through helping young people in the provision of leisure time activities”, but the process was slightly altered.
The popular charity event created by the Malcolm Whales Foundation; The Dorset Walk was due to take place on 10th – 12th July in Dorset as it has done every year since 2009. Nearly 400 people were due to don their walking boots and make their way along the beautiful coastline, walking 40 miles across three days and camping in between. This year however, Team Mintridge planned 40 socially distanced miles around the undiscovered East Northamptonshire & Cambridgeshire countryside with a home-based campsite just outside of Oundle and what an amazing three days we had to take part in the inclusive Non-Dorset Walk. You might have heard us chat to Wayne Bavin at BBC Northampton back in May about the incredible challenge.
The Mintridge Foundation’s 28 NOT OUT Campaign is delighted to be a beneficiary of this fantastic walk to raise funds for the Max Hunter Fund within the Foundation. £1 per person walking is donated to our cause that helps promote the importance of looking after our mental wellbeing, just as we do our physical through the power of positive sporting role models.
…And here is how we got on!...
DAY ONE
OUNDLE – ASHTON – POLEBROOK – HEMINGTON – THURNING – HEMINGTON
Fuelled by a last minute pitstop in Oundle Co-Op for plenty of nuts, cereal bars and some naughty chocolate treats, Alex Wallace (Founder of the Mintridge Foundation), Tara Belcher (Mintridge Trustee ) and of course, Maggie the Border Terrier kickstarted their Non Dorset Walk in beautiful sunshine (oh, how they wish that lasted!).
The start line was at Tara’s house before making their way through the beautiful Northamptonshire countryside seeing only tractors, sheep and a few other fellow walkers for company for the rest of the day until some good friends joined us for a meal outside our snug tents ahead of our first night of camping.
It is safe to say that one member of the party was more excited than the other for the evening’s accommodation but there were lots of giggles and laughter about their 2020 summer holiday approximately 2 metres from Alex’s house! Some tired legs were soon resting before day 2’s adventure.
DAY TWO
THURNING – CLOPTON – WIGSTHORPE – ACHURCH – WADENHOE – ALDWINCLE – THRAPSTON LAKES – THORPE WATERVILLE
Ahead of our biggest day of mileage, Activeat kindly sent some delicious breakfast options to start day 2 in the right way. Thank you to Jemma and the team, we certainly needed that as we made our way through more undiscovered footpaths right on our doorstop. Without the Non-Dorset Walk giving us the motivation, the Nene paths might never have been seen by us, so another wonderful reason to join the amazing initiative.
I think it is safe to say that the pit stop at Wadenhoe Tea Rooms not only offered a beautiful backdrop for lunch but a welcome rest for Maggie’s legs who completed the full mileage throughout the day.
DAY THREE
We welcomed some new smiling faces on day three as Sally Peck (Mintridge Trustee), Jo Paske (Mintridge Photographer) and Tracy Wilkinson (friend of After Umbrage and fellow beneficiary) joined the walking brigade undeterred by the constant drizzle around the Grafham Water loop. The thought of Katie Smith’s picnic at the end was keeping the legs turning as Sally’s dogs set the pace. Thank you to everyone that joined us, we certainly could not have got through the final miles without you.
WHAT A BRILLIANT ADVENTURE, thank you to the Malcolm Whales Foundation for all that you have done for us, especially in these very difficult times. We are really looking forward to working closely with you in the future to help promote sport and physical activity for young people.
You can see the monumental fundraising achieved through the Non Dorset Walk just here and the figure keeps getting higher and higher: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nondorsetwalk
Who is excited for more walking and camping adventures in the future? We certainly are! Bring it on.
To find out more about the Malcolm Whales Foundation, please visit: https://tmwf.co.uk/
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The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.
