This year, to support the project in Kenya - which the Preston Christian Aid group has signed up to support - to provide better maternity and child health facilities, we are holding a virtual sponsored walk. Have a look at the website - www.christianaid.org.uk/getinvolved/communitypartnership/kenya.aspx

We are looking for as many volunteers as possible to take part to help us raise money towards our target of £5,000. You may ask what a virtual walk is? The answer is one that you do in your own time and at your own pace, while undertaking your daily activities over a period of a month. This could be walking the dog, playing golf, walking upstairs at work instead of using the lift, or any other activities you are doing. It could also be running, swimming or cycling. You will record each day exactly how far you have gone towards your individual target for the month and ask friends and family to sponsor you for the distance you cover. You might for example pledge to walk the 60 kms that represents the distance from one end to the other of the area that nurse Monica Asikuku covers visiting clinics and training traditional birth attendants, or you may prefer a lesser distance such as the 15 kms both Gladys and Doreen walked just to get to the clinic, or 30 kms to represent the round trip they made. Whatever distance you choose, and however much you raise doing it, you will be showing your solidarity with, and support for, these women and the money you raise will help fund improved clinics, motorbikes for Monica and her colleagues to get around their area, and ambulances to bring emergency cases to hospital, even at night when it isn’t safe to walk.

For an information pack and to sign up contact Anne Garsed (07813 870641). To measure your activity, you could buy a pedometer or, if you have a smartphone or other device, you can download an app such as ‘Walk with Map My walk – GPS Walking’, ‘Pacer - Pedometer’, ‘Footsteps - Pedometer’. Otherwise you can gauge your distances from maps or the Internet.

You must complete your walk between Thursday 17^th September and Saturday 17^th October 2015, recording your distances on the daily log provided (though you do not have to add to it every day). We will finish with a collective walk of the last kilometre through Preston City Centre on Saturday 17^th October. You can still participate even if you can’t join the final kilometre.

All money raised will be match funded by the EU, making each pound you raise worth £4.00. If your sponsors also Gift Aid their donations, then that will further increase the amount we raise; so please do encourage sponsors to tick the gift aid box on your form.