Annual Community Walk

Annual Community Walk exceeds Fundraising Target

On Sunday 5^th March, 31 pupils and nine members of staff took part in the annual 11km walk from Studland to Canford to raise money for the City Reach project. Once again it was a memorable day taking part in the challenge, and we are thrilled to have already exceeded our target of £2,500 with more donations still coming in on the dedicated giving page

The City Reach project is a youth group based in Northam in inner city Southampton which Canford has been involved with for well over 15 years.   Northam is a disadvantaged area near the heart of the city which is geographically quite isolated and with few local amenities.  For the people of Northam, the project provides an opportunity to take part in a range of activities which it is sometimes difficult for them to access and also provides support for the work of the Community Centre and its leaders. Funds raised are used to equip the centre and develop its facilities for use by the children and young adults in this area.  Previous walks have funded new sofas, a pool table and kitchen equipment.

Several Lower Sixth Canfordians recorded their thoughts after completing the walk which show just how much our pupils gain from these experiences personally, as well as the satisfaction of raising funds for such a worthwhile cause:

Dominic wrote: “Today's walk was somewhat of a trial for me however, turned out to be a fantastic experience with lovely views and a challenge I found well worth taking on. At the start of the walk, it was still a very dreary morning, and I was struggling to shake off my desire to go back to sleep however I joined up with a friend and headed off along the beach. I found it to be very nice to forget about all my daily stresses and instead just focus on the walk whilst being able to chat with a friend, especially once the sun came out. I think my favourite part of the walk was along the seafront harbour when we stopped in a nearby field for lunch and I was able to take in the surroundings and enjoy the day. Once we reached the end and made it back to the Canford gates, everyone was weary but spirits were very high.  I can safely say that everyone enjoyed the day! “

Sentiments echoed by Kerry’s account: “On Sunday I joined some other pupils and teachers from Canford on the annual sponsored walk to raise funds for City Reach.  The change in temperature to colder conditions didn’t deter us on our long walk from Knoll Beach, Studland because it gave us the chance to stretch our legs in support of this great cause.  Among my happiest moments were sitting around the harbour-side to enjoy lunch with my friends and the joy of chatting and laughing as we walked through the beautiful countryside. Even though my injured knee from football the previous day may have been of hindrance at some point, I felt much better at the end of the 11km walk with the satisfaction of seeing 33,000 steps on my phone!”

Thank you to everyone involved in making this such a successful community fundraising day.