This July saw over 600 walkers take part in Prostate Cymru’s The Big Walk and raise an astonishing £62,330 for the charity.
In previous years, The Big Walk has been a day event which would see fundraisers walk the 26 miles from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff City Centre to Kenfig Hill RFC, however with current events this year people were encouraged to complete the walk virtually throughout the month of July.
In total, 600 walkers raised £62,330.02, for Prostate Cymru.
Whilst in previous years The Big Walk has seen celebrities such as Warren Gatland OBE, Sir Gareth Edwards CBE, and Max Boyce MBE set the walkers on their way, this year the charity had a celebrity team, led by Prostate Cymru’s Ambassador Carol Vorderman MBE, who also walked the 26 miles in July.
The celebrity team included big names such as Steve Speirs, Melanie Walters and Sir Gareth and Maureen Edwards.
The celebrity team had a fantastic team spirit and all got involved throughout the month and posted pictures of their walks online for their followers to see.
Watch a video about the walk:
Prostate Cymru’s Community and Sports Officer, Chris Leyshon, 28, said: “It was inspiring to see the communities of Wales come together to tackle this exciting challenge, and the amount The Big Walk has raised we are incredibly grateful for.”
“This year has been hard and the charity sector has really been hit, but the support that Prostate Cymru received throughout July was breath-taking.It was great to see so much positive interaction during the event and I never imagined that this year during a pandemic that it would have been so successful. This would never have been possible without everyone who got involved.”
The walk started six years ago with just 50 participants but it has grown and grown. Organisers said the event wasn’t a race but a community effort and was also held to raise awareness of the condition.