Tadworth & Walton Overseas Aid Trust’s two sponsored walks in May attracted the largest ever participation with 46 walkers taking part across the two events and raising of the order of £2,000.
On May 19th
and on May 27th when Digby the Labradoodle also participated.
The walkers traversed the Downs from Epsom Race Course to the Sportsman in Mogador via Headley returning via Walton-on-the-Hill. The walk was enlivened with anecdotes from local historian, Jean Clew. The record turnout was a fitting tribute to the long term organiser, John Allinson, who had announced his plan to retire from this role having achieved his 80th birthday some time ago.
Fortunately two of his able deputies will be taking over organisation of next year’s event. The final amount raised in sponsorship will not be known for some weeks but Digby the Labradoodle has a Virgin Money Giving page that has already raised over £180 and the current running total is around £1500. This will go to the development projects the charity supports including schools in impoverished communities in Africa, Asia and South America
To sponsor participants online with paypal or a credit card you can visit our VirginMoneyGiving event page by clicking here
Unfortunately there were some technical difficulties with adding photos and text to walk leader John Allinson’s donation page so you can see some pictures from previous years below – click on them for an enlarged image:
John & his walkers taking a brief rest on Farthing Down in May 2015
Walk on May 28th 2016
The second Tadworth & Walton Overseas Aid Trust Sponsored walk of 2016 attracted 29 participants bringing the total involvement to over forty in their two walks from Box Hill to Polesden Lacy and back. Digby the Australian Labradoodle, participating for the second time, boosted his total miles covered to well in excess of twenty and raised his sponsorship earnings to over £250. However, in one of the occasional excursions he was permitted off the leash, he rather disgraced himself by rolling vigorously in a recent cowpat and trailing more than a whiff of the countryside in his wake thereafter! The organisers are hoping that the total funds raised through Digby’s and other walkers’ sponsors will be of the order of £2,000.
Walk on May 20th 2016
The first 2016 Walk took place on Friday May 20. Twelve walkers plus Digby, the dog, assembled in Box Hill car park at 9.30am ready for their trek over to Polesden Lacy via Denbies, the largest Vineyard in Britain, and back up Box Hill again via the Stepping Stones pub. Some of the walkers, who had other engagements that day, took advantage of lifts back to Box Hill from the three intermediate stopping points. However, Digby, who is an Australian Labradoodle, was determined to go the whole ten miles – in fact he probably did considerably more than that as there were lots of trees to investigate on the route! He has his own sponsorship page on VirginMoneyGiving and has already raised over £200 for TWOAT.
2015 Walk Report
Our 2015 Sponsored Walks attracted a record 43 participants. Many thanks go to the organiser John Allinson; his two walking helpers Bob Gunn and Dick Shelley; historian Jean Clew; lift provider Mary Heath and John’s wife Deb who greeted the walkers at the 3/4 way point on Farthing Down with a selection of drinks and biscuits.
The Walk proved most interesting starting in Chipstead and including visits to the ancient Saxon Church at Chaldon and Kenley Aerodrome where John identified significant sites and gave details of its role in the Battle of Britain.
It is not too late to retrospectively sponsor walkers who participated in the rather hilly 9.5 mile challenge which traversed Happy Valley twice .
Click on the pictures to enlarge them.
