Stephen Wadsworth, of InXpress Derby & Nottingham, walked from Ilkeston to Skegness with a group of friends. They started out at 4:30am on 31st July (which just so happened to be the hottest day of the year!), in order to raise money for a variety of charities.
Stephen had an ambitious goal to raise money for a number of charities close to his, and his teams’ hearts. Their plan was to walk from their home-office in Ilkeston, to Skegness on the East Coast… some 82 miles away!
Having trained and planned their route, the ambitious group set out on day one, on 31st July. As the weather reports began to warn of this being the hottest day of the year, the team had to adjust their plans accordingly. “We wanted to get 30 miles completed before the sun could do its worst,” Stephen explains, “which meant setting off at 4:30am, to walk from Ilkeston to Newark!”
Fortunately, most of the day was spent walking alongside the River Trent, a slight breeze helping, but not the easiest of paths to take, “The path alongside the river is uneven! This took its toll on our ankles! It was a tough first day, but we were determined to power through and raise the money for those who needed our help.”
InXpress encourages its network to ‘Gives Back’ through their franchises. “This Spring, we launched our High Five Forever campaign,” says Rob Williams, franchisee and member of the InXpress Gives Back UK Charity Committee. “We are committed, to make a bigger difference to causes which are close to the hearts of everyone within the InXpress family. By working together, we can generate funds and support the charity efforts of individual franchisees. So, it was great to be able to support Stephen and his team, with their long-distance walk for charity.”
As the second day came around, the hiking group walked another 30 miles, from Newark to Coningsby. “Although the temperature was somewhat cooler on day two, our feet were still aching from the day before. It was a long, hard slog, with ice baths all round when we reached our goal!”
On their final day, the group hiked the final 22 miles from Coningsby to Skegness, and smashed their target. “We had aimed to raise £500, but with all the support for us, we had a final total of £6,500 for charities we each care about, deeply. These included SANDS (still born and neonatal deaths), Dementia UK and Ben’s Den.”
Stephen is already planning his next team challenge for May 2021, hoping to raise even more!
Congratulations to all involved in this wonderful charitable triumph!