On Sunday 3rd November 2019, our 5th annual walk took place. Behind the scenes planning began several months ago, and the worrying that no one would attend also started then too! The forecast was not looking promising and rain was predicted for most of the day. Thankfully the weather was dry for the duration of the walk and over 150 people turned up!
It is always so humbling to see so many people give up their time on a Sunday afternoon to show their support for Milly and her charity. The day wasn’t about raising money, it was about people from all walks of life, coming together to celebrate Milly’s birthday and showing their love and respect for this amazing young lady.
It was also about friendships both new and old, about community, kindness and selflessness. We saw that in abundance yesterday, people turned up to walk for Milly and had a great time doing so.
It has become tradition to have PC Dave Render start off the walk which he did brilliantly, although next year we will invest in a loud haler so that everyone can hear him! The walk set off at a good pace and it was lovely to see the crowds of people along the full length of the canal, there was lots of laughter and chatter, and overall there was a happy fun filled atmosphere.
A particular picture taken is very poignant for me, it is of all Milly’s friends, seeing them grown up pulls on my heart strings, I have Milly as 11 years old in my memory even though she is almost 16. I forget that her friends are growing up until I see them, and it never fails to surprise me how tall they have all gotten and how grown up they look. However, having them turn up for the walk year after year means so much to me and I will always be grateful to them for holding her in their hearts.
Our gazebo made its first appearance on the walk, we placed it half way along the route and its safe to say everyone was thrilled to be offered hot tea, coffee and vimto as well as jelly babies and chocolate bars!
It was lovely to catch up with everyone after the walk in The Royal, there were many families from Ward 84 which was lovely, there were also representatives from Primark Burnley who have adopted us as their charity of the year, we had fundraisers from previous years also coming along to support us.
Thank you so much to each and everyone for coming and joining our walk, and for all your kind donations, we received a total of £610.05. Thank you also to Gavin at The Royal who donated all the food on the day, to our lovely pom-pom girls Aisha and Zara, to Marie for taking the photos and to the great team that I have by my side, who made the day fun and enjoyable and free of stress!
We look forward to seeing you all next year.
