The excitement is mounting as supporters of Cirencester charity The Churn Community Hub (formerly The Churn Project) sign up to walk approximately 25km (15 miles) of the River Churn, following the Churn Valley Way, to celebrate the charity’s 25th anniversary and raise vital funds.
On Saturday, 9th May, walkers will set off between 8 and 9 am from Seven Springs near Cheltenham and head off to the finish line at the charity’s offices in The Waterloo, Cirencester, passing through some of the Cotswolds’ most beautiful scenery. With no parking available at the start, free transport kindly provided by Ellison’s Coaches will leave Cirencester at 8.30 am to deliver registered walkers to the departure point.
Pre-registration online will help the day run smoothly and is £8 per adult and £4 for under 18s; it closes on Thursday 7th May. Entry on the day is £10 and £5 respectively. Dogs are welcome and can enter for free but must be kept fully under control.
Thanks to event sponsors Comstor, all funds raised from the event will go directly to support the work of The Churn Community Hub. Whilst participants don’t have to be sponsored in order to take part, the additional money raised by sponsored walkers will make a tremendous difference to the charity, which supports anyone in Cirencester and surrounding villages who is at a point of crisis or transition in their lives or who is experiencing loneliness or mental health issues. Last year it directly supported over 1,700 people from across the community through a mix of group activities and one-to-one support.
Sarah Bourne, Chief Executive Officer of The Churn Community Hub says: “We’d love people to join us for what promises to be a great day, raising money to support our work. Don’t be put off by the 25km distance – with pick-up points along the route, you can take part in whatever way works for you.”
From mid-afternoon every registered walker taking part, whether they complete the entire walk or do a shorter distance, is invited to ‘finish line’ refreshments and a barbecue kindly supplied by Jesse Smith’s, where stories of the walk will be swapped, achievements celebrated, and sore feet rested.
To find full information on this wonderful fundraiser and register to take part before 7th May, visit www.thechurn.org.uk/walkthechurn/.