A pair of walkers have raised £50,000 for a host of Hertfordshire children’s charities after completing an epic 180-mile trek around the county.
Helping Herts co-founders Gordon Morrison and Jim Tatchell walked the Hertfordshire Way across 14 days, starting and ending in Bishops Stortford while taking in Royston, Wallington, Little Wymondley, Codicote, St Albans, Markyate, Tring, Kings Langley, Shenley, Cuffley, Hertford, and Widford.
They were joined by a number of VIPs on different sections of their walk, including Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Robert Voss, Herts County Council leader Richard Roberts and Lord Salisbury.
“It’s been fantastic to experience parts of Hertfordshire I’d never visited before,” said Jim.
“It's been a revelation to discover how much unspoilt countryside we have right on our doorstep, and you really don't need to travel far to find it.
“I’ve had the pleasure to meet some wonderful people; including an unforgettable ride on a Riding for the Disabled Association horse and cart round Patmore Heath, as well as an entertaining encounter with Stevie the Stevenage RDA scarecrow.
“We were also joined on one morning by a group of Grove Cottage staff and the lovely Aimee who enjoyed showing us all the right way to go. You all do amazing work and I would like to thank you for your support.”
The walk wasn’t without its challenges though.
As the days passed the inclines seemed to get steeper and on day nine the logistics went badly wrong when the pair had to wait two hours in Kings Langley for a rail replacement bus to get them back to Tring where their car was parked.
“I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has donated,” added Gordon.
“This is a fantastic amount of money which will be shared equally between the 12 charities involved and will make a real difference to them. We were delighted to be supported by some very busy people from across the county who encouraged us every step of the way.”
Money from the walk will be donated to the following charities:
- Coram Life Education
- Carers in Herts
- Herts Young Homeless
- For Baby’s Sake
- Herts Mind Network
- Grove Cottage
- Riding for the Disabled
- Home Start Herts
- Phoenix Group for Deaf Children & Adults
- PlaySkill
- The Ollie Foundation
- NSPCC
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