On Sunday 1st October we celebrated The Food Chain’s 35th birthday by taking a long walk along the Grand Union Canal. There was a 35km option, starting at Slough station, and a 10km option from Alperton.
After a lovely set of warm-up stretches led by our volunteer yoga teacher Kirsten, the 35k-ers were off! Everyone took the walk at their own pace, and we stopped often for rest, snacks and to take photos of the beautiful canal-side surroundings. The weather was on our side and there was even a sighting of a kingfisher!
At lunchtime, the 10k-ers gathered at Alperton station and started their journey. And happily, walkers from each option managed to overlap in our destination pub in Paddington to swap stories and compare aches and pains. Everyone was tired and happy by the end, and we were rewarded with some lovely home-baked celebration cookies kindly donated by Jo Jackson.
THANK YOU to all our intrepid walkers, and to everyone who has donated in sponsorship. Almost £8,000 has been raised so far. Community fundraising is a vital income stream for a small charity, so this will go a long way in sustaining our services, supporting those living with HIV who are struggling the most.
Below are some pictures of our amazing walking team, and remember it’s never too late to add to that sponsorship total!
