Fighting poverty with heart and sole

Monday 06 May 2019

Hundreds of walkers are trekking around the Bailiwick today to help tackle poverty in some of the world's poorest countries.

The 49th World Aid Walk is supporting the Eleanor Foundation, Christian Aid, Action Aid, the Tumaini Fund and This Is EPIC.

All five of the charities are either based in Guernsey or have branches in the island and seek to help those in need around the world. 

Walkers in Guernsey will travel 19km over the course of the day, while those in Sark will cover a shorter route of 10km. A World Aid Walk is also taking place in Herm but has been limited to just 150 places.

Organisers are hoping to plan a similar event in Alderney next year.

All participants have paid a fee to take part in the event and have been given sponsorship forms to raise as much money as possible for the chosen charities. On top of that, the Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission has once again agree to match all funds raised by walkers.

The walk has undergone some changes in recent years with a "new and improved" route introduced in 2018 - taking walkers inland through lanes from Cobo to Saumarez Park.

The walk was first set up as a small event in 1970 and has continued to grow over the years, raising more than £500,000 for charities.

More information for walkers and donators is available here.

Pictured top: Image from worldaidwalk.org.gg.