Barry and his friend Alec are walking 1,000km across Spain to raise money for Winston’s Wish in memory of Barry’s daughter, Lauren. Winston’s Wish supported Lauren’s two small children and their family when Lauren died suddenly in 2016. Barry tells us why he decided to take on this incredible fundraising challenge.
Tell us about your fundraising challenge
My challenge is to walk over 1,000km across central Spain, from Seville to Santiago de Compostela, with Alec, my friend of over 50 years. We have completed a couple of the Camino pilgrimage routes to Santiago before, so we decided to tackle the longest and most enduring of all the routes, the Via de la Plata. The increased difficulty level is mainly due to the terrain and hot conditions.
We expect to walk an average of 25-35km a day over 40 days, with a few rest days to recover from fatigue and foot blisters. We’re not planning to take longer that 46 days in total to compete the route.
Why did you decide to support Winston’s Wish?
Our daughter Lauren was killed in October 2016 when a car mounted the kerb as she was walking to the gym. She was enjoying her maternity leave and preparing to return to her job. This left our grandchildren, Cara (two and a half years old) and Daniel (nine months old) without a mother.
Our son-in-law David was left with the children on his own, although he had support from his and Lauren’s families. None of us had the skills or know-how to tell our little ones what had happened and what effect this would have on their lives without their mummy.
David was put in touch with Winston’s Wish and he formed a great relationship with a Winston’s Wish volunteer called Alison. Over the past five and a half years, David has been able to draw upon them to help him navigate all the difficult conversations he had to have with Cara and Daniel, and they will be there to support our family into the future.
Winston’s Wish have been a great support during times when we have all been lost for words – how to explain how, why and where their mummy has gone. The ongoing support we have is invaluable with our families ongoing bereavement and we can only thank them.
This challenge is our little way of highlighting the important role Winston’s Wish has played and continues to play in the lives of children who have been bereaved. They offer support at the start and continue the support to be there for a child as they grow. It’s giving us the opportunity to say thank you to all the unsung heroes of Winston’s Wish and try to support them and generate donations to sustain this great charity. We’re also raising money for Alder Bereavement Centre in Liverpool.
What are you looking forward to most about your challenge?
The finish!!! Besides that, I’m looking forward to exploring parts of Spain we don’t normally get to see. Also, getting the chance to meet other walkers, make new friends and share my family’s story which may help Winston’s Wish.
What do you think will be your biggest challenge?
The biggest worry is blisters. With the constant ponding of your feet on the hard, hot surfaces, it is difficult not to end up with some blisters.
At close on 66 years of age and with my footballing days well behind me, my main physical activity has become walking. The longer the walk, the greater the sense of achievement I feel. The physical exercise keeps me mobile and certainly helps with my erratic sleep patterns. The walking does help enormously with my mental state, however each walk still stirs up a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when listening to my music playlist.
My past walks have been about whether ‘I’ had the mindset to complete a long endurance walk. Now I know I can complete what I started and I now know I have the strength to complete this fundraising challenge in honour of our daughter Lauren.
You can sponsor Barry via his JustGiving page
If you want to take on a fundraising challenge, please visit our Fundraising page to be inspired and get in touch.