HUNDREDS OF WALKERS HELP TO STEP UP SUPPORT FOR CRY AS FLAGSHIP EVENT REACHES ITS 10TH YEAR
On Sunday 26th June, 1,266 walkers congregated in London’s Potters Fields Park for CRY’s annual Heart of London Bridges Walk.
The 10th year of the event saw the introduction of the new starting venue, with a wonderful backdrop of Tower Bridge. And, despite the dreadful weather throughout most of June, the sun shone and our walkers stayed (mostly!) dry!
It was incredibly moving to see hundreds of people coming together to walk in memory of a friend or family member. As ever, it was particularly poignant to be able to provide an opportunity for so many longstanding CRY supporters to meet up with others who had been similarly affected by young sudden cardiac death – some of whom had been travelling to London to take part in the event since its launch in 2007.
From 8am, members of the CRY team, as well as an army of enthusiastic volunteers, arrived at the start venue to set up the marquees, press tent and bold CRY signage as well as being on hand to meet and greet the walkers, ensure a speedy check-in and provide a warm welcome to those who were registering on the day.
As in previous years, many of the families who had signed up for CRY’s flagship event were (with the help of the press team and our official photographer) keen to make contact with their local media to tell their story in a bid to help raise awareness of CRY and the work we do.
Walkers came in groups large and small, as couples or chose to walk on their own. One of the biggest groups that took part this year was made up of over 90 friends and family members of Sian Roger from Middlesex, who died suddenly in May 2015, aged just 32.
Kathryn Harries, international opera star and CRY Patron, has been involved with the Bridges Walk for the past decade and – having cut the red ribbon to mark the official start – led the walkers around the new route crossing six London bridges and passing many of the city’s iconic landmarks.
Dr Steve Cox, CRY’s CEO, said: “When I arrived and walked out into the opening with the backdrop of Tower Bridge it was an amazing feeling. A feeling which was amplified when I watched the crowds of supporters slowly gathering and building in numbers before setting off.
“I found it incredibly moving to see the long line of walkers crossing Tower Bridge and then walking along the north side of the River Thames by the Tower of London.
Dr Cox added: “We are immensely grateful to everyone who signed up for this special 10th annual Bridges Walk and I felt incredibly proud to be part of CRY. This year, the event came hot on the heels of our 20th anniversary, which has given staff, volunteers, families and supporters an opportunity to look back over our many milestones and achievements since CRY’s launch in 1995, as well as paying tribute to the many young people and their families who have been affected by young sudden cardiac death.”
Water, donated soft drinks and Eat Natural cereal bars were handed out at the start of the walk and donated Pop Chips and crisps were handed out at the Millennium Bridge water station. The event ended, once again, at the beautiful Hay’s Galleria, near London Bridge, where certificates and a refreshing fruity drink were distributed. Throughout the afternoon, CRY merchandise was available to purchase and many participants chose to record their feelings about the day in the “Thoughts Book”.
To conclude the event, Alison Cox MBE, CRY Founder, gave a brief speech and introduced Professor Mary Sheppard, who heads up the CRY Centre for Cardiac Pathology at St George’s Hospital, London, and who took part in the walk this year.
CRY remains very grateful to Kathryn Harries who has led this walk most years since 2007. We would also like to say thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers who helped out both on the day and behind the scenes.
Thank you to various organisations for their help, advice and support. Without them, we could not run this event.
All money raised from this event will go towards CRY’s core funding initiatives.
All of the photos from the event can be viewed here.
Volunteers
Martin Appleby, Louise Baldock, Nigel Bennett ,Steve Biglin, Jenny and James Boag, Lucy Bowyer, Nia Crockford, Krisztina Cserhalmi, Phil Day, Katie Everitt-Jones, Ann Fitzgerald, Amanda Franklin, Michelle, Lianne, Ayda and Freja Frost, Alex Gadd, Gail Gittings, Barbara Griffin, Sheila Hammond, Marilyn Henry, Wendy Moss, Barbara and Jim Holland, Kelvin Holt, Carl and Gareth Johnson, Gerry Johnston, Julie Lockton, Koula Louki, Anna Mahoney, Tim Munyanyi, Carol and Tony Nicholls, Harriet Pearce Willis, Lisa, Hollie and Poppy Peploe, Janette Pollard, Ramila Raval, Becci, Sue and Pete Robinson, Jag Sandhu, Elizabeth Sheriff, Laurie and Linda Taylor, Sarah Tyler, Julien and Rowena Upson, Marion and Matt Wilson and Will Wright.
Sponsors
Refreshment sponsors:
Lucozade Ribena Suntory
Popchips
Eat Natural
Corporate Sponsors:
UNUM
Chubb Insurance Company of Europe
Dairy Crest
SC Johnson
Service Master Clean
Anonymous Corporate supporter
Venue Sponsor:
London Bridge City
Vehicle Sponsor:
David Jewell made a donation in memory of his son, Damien Jewell, to cover the cost of the vehicles used on the day.
Other organisations and individuals that supported and helped with the organisation of this event.
A1 Pro Entertainments
City of London Police
City of London Events Team
JD’s Food Group
Metropolitan Police
Potters Fields Park
Southward Council Events Team
St John Ambulance
Tesco
Transport for London
Westminster City Council, Events Team and Parks
As always, the walk was in memory of all the young people who have died suddenly. This year, participants were walking in memory of the following named individuals (names are as stated on walkers’ back signs and there may be some repetition):
Charlotte Adams, Robert Andall, Marcus Armstrong, Stuart Attridge, Paul Baker, Alex Bates, Craig Beck, Jemma Benjamin, Richard Bethell, Ben Birch, Jack Boulton, Gemma Bousfield, Neil Bradbury, Louise Brignull, Alex Brinck-Johnsen, Katrina Brown, Michael Cadman, Alistair Calvert, Alex Camilleri, Justin Carman, Andrew P Carter, Anjum Choudhury, Philippa Chowne, Katrina Christopher, Cheryl Christopher-Webber, Tom Clabburn, James Colman, Matthew Cragg, Jane Crean, Jonathan Crowhurst, Simon Cullum, Adam Donnelly, Adam Drawbridge, Richard Dunk, Emily Rose Dunn, Guy Evans, Harry Faulkner, Leanne Faulkner, Conor Feeney, Josh Fell, Therese Field, Luke Francis, Jay Futter, Jake Gallagher, Rebecca Gapes, Stephen Gately, Ashley Goodwin, David Green, Oliver Griffin, Rochelle Grogan, Matthew Hadfield, Shamil Hamid, David and James Hamilton, Nial Hamilton, John Hammond, Sam Hargreaves, Matthew Harris, Laura Hillier, Daniel Hughes, Emma Hurlbut, Amjad Janjua, Ethan Jones, Rishi Kukar, Jannik Lam, Robby Lebita, Huw Lewis, Nathan Logue, Alan Lumley, Ryan Mance, Marie Manhire-Clark, Balinder Mann, James Markham, Amanda McCarthy, Ian McDonald, Stephanie McLean, Luke Meekings, Joseph Merritt, Elizabeth Mockler, Paul Mulford, Gerard Murphy, James Nicholas, Daniel Nicholls, Thomas Paul Padmore, Robert Palmer, Ceri Palmer née Howells, Paul Parker, Andrew Patterson, Duncan Phillips, James Phillips, Aaron Piggott, Hannah Pointing, Ben Powell, Craig Powell, Claire Prosser, Bobby Puri, Sian Roger, Adam Rowbottom, Russell Salter, Ricki Savage, Neil Schuyleman, Christopher Sears, Sharky, Paul Sheridan, Gregg Shoults, Aashi Sinha, Ben Skinner, Phil Standing, Hannah Stanton, David Stiller, Ian Strange, Paul Sykes, Zac and Kelsey Taylor, Gareth Thomas, Guy Thomas, Nicholas Thomas, Oliver Thompson, Peter Thomson, Nicholas Thorne, Scott and Michael Thurlow, Isabelle Tudisca, Danielle Valentine, Vincenzo Vetere, Neil Walden, George Watson, Melissa Watts, Lily Webster, Sally Wells, Paul Wilkins, Robert Worboys, Sam Wright and Michael Yorston.
