Monday 21 March 2016. 80 CSH Surrey co-owners (employees), their friends and families (plus 4 happy dogs!) walked 16 miles on Sunday 20 March to raise money for three local charities. The grassroots charities chosen by CSH Surrey co-owners are Epsom-based Love Me Love My Mind, the Leatherhead Youth Project, and SCAMPPS. The Reverend Sue Bull came to see the walkers off at the start, while 7 young people and young workers from the Leatherhead Youth Project joined CSH Surrey on the walk.
Joe Crome, General Manager at the Leatherhead Youth Project, says: “The Big Walk was a fantastic event and we are really grateful to CSH Surrey for choosing to donate some of the proceeds to LYP. As a small charity, donations like this go a long way and make a real difference to the projects we run. A group of our young people managed to complete the walk along with our team of youth workers, which was a great challenge for them and is part of the fundraising they are doing for our summer charity trip to Romania.”
Leatherhead Youth Project team at the finish line
The walk started and finished at Leatherhead Community Hospital, from where CSH Surrey provides a number of NHS health services, including physiotherapy, the local wheelchair service, podiatry and a range of services for children & families. The walkers headed towards Epsom before walking up Chalk Lane to Epsom Downs for their first water/snack stop at Tattenham Corner. From there it was back into Epsom and through Epsom and Ashstead Commons before walking back along the A24 from Ashstead to the hospital.
Reaching the first water/snack stop at Tattenham Corner on Epsom Downs
At the second water/snack stop in Epsom town centre
Everyone who started the walk managed to finish and were treated to finishers' medals, tea and cakes back at Leatherhead Community Hospital.
The first finishers, who completed the walk in 4 hours and 20 minutes
Sam Scarrott (below left in the purple fleece), Chair of CSH Surrey's Community Fund grants panel and PA to the CEO Jo Pritchard, says: “We had a fantastic turnout and the weather was kind to us. Thank you to everyone who took part, we’re at over £4,400 already! People can continue to donate for another 2 weeks: https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/bigwalk.”
