After having done some fundraising walks for with the Norwich Support Group, Linda Moore, the Co-Support Group Coordinator and fellow group attendee Peter Hatchman and her brother-in-law Chris decided to do something bigger and more personal, so took on PSPA’s Pathway to Progress
The three are no strangers to fundraising, with a prior skydive and the Norwich Support Group fundraisers, which have included quiz nights, fayres and walks.
Getting started
The pair started planning months in advance to set the date they wanted to do it, to do some training beforehand and to fundraise. Linda recommends to, “give yourself some months to train and build up if you’re not a big walker”. This way you won’t feel unprepared or anxious. Planning ahead of the actual event also gives you time to organise any required logistics and how you want to take on the challenge.
Linda, Pete and Chris decided they wanted to take on the Boudicca Way because it’s not too far from where they all live, and it’s a recognised long-distance walk. This is something to consider especially if you’re doing the Pathway with a loved one or friend who has PSP or CBD. Ordnance Survey and recognised walks are likely to have proper footpaths and better accessibility.
The team also planned how they wanted to take on the walk. Again, this is something to bear in mind when planning – how far do you want to walk. The Boudicca Way has two options to walk: one is 32 miles and the other is 36 miles. The team took on the 32 miles route and decided to split the walking into two days, “which worked really well”. They planned the route and stopped when needed at cafes, benches and rest stops.
The time before the walk also allowed them to involve any additional help from family and friends. Pete’s wife Sue, and Linda’s niece Georgia, supported the team with drop-offs and pick-ups.
Fundraising
One of the easiest things to do is “just ask, people are always willing to support and help where they can”. Linda and Pete set up a Just Giving page and set the target as £1,000 (£500 each) and recommend making it “an achievable target”. As well as sharing their JustGiving link with family and friends, they also put together some leaflets with information about each other and why they were taking on the challenge and a link to their JustGiving link. They printed it out and shared it with their Norwich Support Group but also printed some out to take with them on the walk and left them at cafes, pubs and phone box libraries to help spread the word of fundraising but also to raise awareness of the conditions and charity. People who weren’t able to use the JustGiving, simply gave cash which was added to the overall total.
The team took on and completed the Boudicca Walk over the 12-13 June, splitting it into two halves for the two days. Together they smashed their target and raised an incredible £1,466!
Linda and Peter shared their top tips for taking on the Pathway to Progress:
- If you’re doing a walk with someone who has the condition or is differently abled, then consider doing an Ordnance Survey or paved walk that will be more accessible and comfortable for them. This will also help if you need family or friends to pick you up from different locations.
- Have a timeframe or distance in mind of what you want to do – planning ahead will give you time to prepare and train and not stress yourself.
- Think about why you’re doing it, remembering that you’re doing it for a loved one, whether in-memory or for a loved one who’s still living, this is a great motivator.
- Consider doing it with family, friends or both – chatting along the way will help keep momentum and the good vibes flowing.
- Choose a pretty route – it always helps to have lovely scenery whilst walking and moving.
- Think about the time of year you want to do it. Pathway to Progress runs from April to September, but you don’t want to do it during a heatwave or when it’s pouring with rain. Keep an eye on the weather and be flexible if you need to move it.
- Dress appropriately for the weather – again monitor the weather and dress accordingly to protect yourself.
- Pack light – Linda, Peter and Chris took light packs that had a couple bottles of water and snacks.
- Have fun and take lots of photos and videos! PSPA loves to see what you’ve done, and we love to share your photos and video to encourage other people to take part.
If you would like to take on a Pathway to Progress with your Support Group, please get in touch with our Fundraising team on fundraising@pspassociation.org.uk. They can help set you up on JustGiving and advise on how to get involved. The great thing about Pathways is that it’s completely up to you what you would like to do, how far you would like to go and where you would like to do it.
