CRY Heart of Durham Walk

We were pleased to join 132 of our supporters on 18 September 2022 for the 13th annual CRY Heart of Durham Walk

We were pleased to be back once again in the heart of the city with an incredible 132 walkers taking part in the day. We appreciate the effort every single person made to come together to reflect and remember those who have died due to Young Sudden Cardiac Death, and to support those who have been diagnosed with an inherited cardiac condition; especially as we are aware of just how difficult a day it can be for some of our supporters.

The weather was kind to us throughout the day, remaining dry and bright.

As always, everything was a real team effort! The event was attended by CRY staff Lily Burke, Cara MacMillan, Hannah Walker and Ben Robinson.

Walkers started arriving from 9:30am, to Durham Amateur Rowing Club, to get checked in. We were also pleased to welcome 31 people who registered for the event on the day.

Once everyone had arrived, Jeff Morland, who worked with CRY to organise the first Durham Walk 13 years ago, in memory of his son Levon, gave a speech at the rowing club. Jeff spoke of the significance of the day, the heartbreak that follows losing a young person, and the importance of preventing such tragedies from continuing to happen. He then read the names of each young person our supporters were walking in memory of. Jeff concluded his speech by asking walkers to ‘fly the flag’ in the city centre and reminded them to ‘enjoy the walk’ and ‘remember what it’s about’.

At 11am, participants started to set off from the rowing club and walk along the river, toward the city centre. Soon, there was a sea of CRY T-shirts visible to passers-by. Our walkers then crossed over the River Wear by bridge, taking in picturesque views of the famous Cathedral. Some may have chosen to go inside the Cathedral and light a candle during their walk, before joining up with the rest of the walkers, and travelling through the bustling Market Place.

As the afternoon progressed, walkers began to retrace their steps along the River Wear, passing local rowers on the water, before gradually returning to the club.

Once our wonderful supporters had completed the walk, they could collect their well-deserved medals and have a sit down, under the rowing club’s impressive canopy. Some chose to grab a drink, or some food from the club’s bar and kitchen, some spoke to other supporters and CRY staff, and for some, this was a time for quiet reflection.

Supporters were also writing message cards in honour of their loved ones and pinning them on the message wall, in the CRY Support Marquee. Throughout the day, people were also adding messages and photos to the digital message wall up on the CRY website, to pay tribute to those they walked in memory of.

There were also lots of photos being taken throughout the day of our walkers in their CRY T-shirts (and plenty of cute dog and puppy snaps too, of course!).

Walkers then filled in some much-appreciated feedback forms, before setting off on their journeys home. By around 4:30pm, the event was wrapped up for another year!

This year, participants were walking and volunteering in memory of Jack Balfour; Lewis Barry; Mark Batson; Andrew Callender; Joseph Clark; Charlie Craig; Adam Dearnley; Ben Forsyth; Dean Henderson; Mathew Hesmondhalgh; Neil Hustwit; John Ibbotson; Stephen Lamb; Alan Lumley; Pat McLaughlan; Stephanie McLean; Levon Morland; Kevin Paterson; John Paul; Charlotte Richardson; Christopher Rushton; Mike Scott; Martyn Skinner; Robert Daniel Smith; Rab Wardell; James Weaver; and David White.

We of course can’t forget the brilliant 7 people who participated in the ‘My Walk for CRY’, from their local areas. We hope the walk went well for you all, thank you so much for your support and commitment. My Walk for CRY was walked this year in memory of Ashley Goodwin; Martin Hodgson; James Moorfoot; and Alex Reid.

We wanted to say a huge thank you to Doug Moody, a local photographer who has helped at Durham for many years. He captured some brilliant moments throughout the day.

We are also very grateful to the following companies and organisations for their support of this event:

· Adam Barrett, Isaac Gibson and Alex Suttie, our brilliant first aiders from MedQsupport.

· Durham Amateur Rowing Club for providing a great venue at a discount, year after year. Elliot and team made us feel so welcome and were a great help on the day.

· Durham University Cricket Club for allowing us the use of the club’s car park.

· Durham Safety Advisory Group and Asset Management Team for approving the route.

Finally, we would like to say a massive thank you to our dedicated volunteers and helpers. We really couldn’t run an event like this, so far away from the CRY office, without you: Katie Allen-Robinson; David (Joe) Crow; Jim Henderson; Marie Miller; and Marianne Mortimore.

Special thanks, once again, must go to Jeff Morland and Steve Percival, the original instigators of the walk, for helping to organise the event and making it all happen each year.

Thank you so much again to every single person who participated in the CRY Heart of Durham Walk 2022 and MyWalkForCRY this Autumn. We are aware that it is not an easy day for many, so it is incredibly inspirational to see you all be so proactive and come together in memory of those who have tragically died.

If you would like to join us in 2023, please join the interest list to be among the first to know when registration opens: www.c-r-y.org.uk/heart-of-durham-walk-2023/