Walking for Children in Need

We get many unexpected requests for support of good causes and we manage to react positively to most of them.  Some you just cannot say “No” to, especially when it come from your next-door neighbours or one of the family.

So, when our daughter Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower approached us with the message: We are “reaching out into the wider Billericay community for support.  As a leader of one of Billericay’s local service and sports clubs, …., your club members who enjoy a challenge may like to offer their support”, we took up the baton and walked (not ran) with it!

Support? OK. How and Why? Mayflower has a Kids Fund which focusses on vulnerable children who have been adversely affected by Covid-19 (e.g. education, health, safety, relationships and physical and emotional well-being).  Funds are urgently needed to finance additional resources for teaching, exercise and welfare to help recover some of the ground lost as a result of the pandemic.

An initial fundraising project raised over £6,000, funding donations to projects run by Kool Carers, School Pastors, Rotary Kids Out, and specialist support for some students at Mayflower and Billericay schools experiencing difficulties coping with health and well-being challenges trigged by the pandemic.

Children Benefit

How? This new project partners them with a national ‘RUN FOR HEROES’ programme in May.  Objective – run, ride, row, swim, skate, ski, or simply walk five kilometres if you wish!  Complete the mission and donate £5 to the Kids Fund.    Get your body moving and support the charity financially.

Why? To raise funds to provide additional resources for all of Billericay’s school children.  Five kilometres is a marathon to those members whose mobility is now confined to a 100 yards before having to rest but others more able who could free up their time did so on May 26, a party  of  six members plus two wives; president Peter, president-elect Les, Malcolm and Sue, Peter Strong and Christabel, Brian Wellman and Mike Sinclair, Non-participating members were asked to sponsor the walkers. If you haven’t already given, send money to treasurer Michael Ginn who will ensure it all reaches Mayflower’s Kids Fund.

Beautiful Views

In cool, dry weather and complete with maps and warm clothes, the intrepid group set off from The Hoop on a circular walk around Stock, taking in Imphy Hall and the local countryside.  Starting down Back Lane, the oldest road in Stock (it was a salt road to Maldon in Boudicca’s time), past the labourers’ cottages for the Stock Lodge estate, past Brookmans Road and School Lane, which leads to the old school, we were lucky to see on our right a wonderful view across the fields towards Margaretting Church. The ancient sunken lane goes downhill, shielded by hedgerows, and comes out onto a bend where old cottages nestle on our right. The road changes into a gravel track.  At the footpath sign on our left, we continued on down the lane for some more beautiful views of the open countryside before retracing our steps to this path, taking the turn past the sign to Imphy Hall.  Then, past a pond on the right and lmphy Hall, a beautiful house, and one of the original seven manors of Buttsbury.

Oldies Rule, OK?

We continued down the track until we reached a right-hand bend, where we followed the footpath sign to our left into the fields.  A slow walk uphill and over a couple of stiles, easy enough even for us “Oldies”, and even over a small narrow wooden footbridge - a challenge for the more doddery amongst us!  Then continuing back uphill over the fields until we arrived for the second time at Back Lane. 

A turn to the right, retracing our steps towards Stock, up the hill and through the town square back to the Hoop and the end of our route.  A few steps over six kms!  Well done to all.

Two hours in the Essex countryside!  What could be better?  Well ..... maybe enjoying the Hoop’s hospitality.  We repaired to the garden behind the pub,for food and, yes, some drinks, and chatted about the morning, how lucky we were with the weather, and grateful that the paths and fields were not as muddy as we might have expected.

Surprisingly, since the weather was good - not cold and the sun came out a few times - nobody else was in the garden.  

So, was it worthwhile?  Apart from the exercise - which we could all do with, definitely!

Not all sponsorship is yet in but we’ve already raised over £250.