This is My WALK IT

As we look forward to this year’s events, three of last year’s participants in My WALK IT discuss their successful 2020 fundraisers

WORDS: EMILY RODWAY

Lucy Taffs and her daughter, Sophia, make a great team. The little girl has seen her mum go through a lot: Lucy experienced several years of near-continuous flare-ups in the years around her daughter’s birth. Then, when Sophia was just 17 months old, Lucy went into hospital for a proctectomy; two years later, she was back for a total colectomy.

Since having her ileostomy, Lucy hasn’t looked back. She’s in good health and, alongside her young sidekick, lives an active life. So, when she heard about the opportunity to raise money for Crohn’s & Colitis UK through a sponsored walk in her area, Lucy seized the chance.

Taking part in My WALK IT 2020 enabled Lucy to help raise awareness of Crohn’s and Colitis among her social network, drum up money to help other people living with the conditions, and keep six-year-old Sophia entertained during a year in which children’s activities were few and far between.

It was really nice to get out in the fresh air and know that you’re raising money at the same time

Over two days at the end of June last year, Lucy and Sophia managed to notch up over 13 kilometres. “We walked around a local reservoir, which was about 8 kilometres, and then took a long walk from our village through the countryside,” recalls Lucy. “It was nice to get out in the fresh air, and good to know you were raising money at the same time.”

Lucy was delighted to raise an amazing £935 for Crohn’s & Colitis UK through the walk. “I put my story on JustGiving and shared it on my Facebook page. A lot of the mums at my school had no idea about my ileostomy and I think they were quite surprised. Maybe that made them donate a bit more!”

Lucy and Sophia: Raised more than £900 and walked 13k together

Jamie Grey

For many years, WALK IT has been Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s flagship event, a chance for supporters and their friends and families to have fun while fundraising, and for the Crohn’s and Colitis community to come together in several different cities across the UK. So it was with great sadness that we realised last year that the usual organised events – in cities from Edinburgh and Newcastle to Plymouth and Swansea – would have to be cancelled. Under the circumstances, there was no other choice to make.

In its place, we launched My WALK IT, a new virtual challenge in which participants complete their walk in their local area – in a park, nearby streets, the garden or even the living room – and have the flexibility to make the event their own. Last year, you could choose to walk either 5k or 10k. For this year’s event, taking place in June, we have expanded the options to include a full or half-marathon.

Best friends

In 2019 Rae had hoped to travel down to Edinburgh to take part in WALK IT in the company of her best friend, Emily, but circumstances meant they couldn’t. Instead, last year they took part in My WALK IT, pledging to complete 10k (one kilometre for each year since Rae had been diagnosed with Crohn’s – plus one for luck!). In the event, they managed much more, walking the Moray coast from Buckie to the nearby village of Cullen and back again, a total of around 22 kilometres.

Rae Imlach (21) lives in Buckie on the Moray Firth coast in the Scottish Highlands where she works as a hairdresser. Rae was diagnosed with Crohn’s 10 years ago; her condition is currently managed with infliximab.

“Crohn’s & Colitis UK have been amazing and helped me through a lot,” says Rae. “Raising money and awareness is so important and hopefully one day there will be a cure.”

RAE AND EMILY: Walked together to support Crohn's and Colitis UK

Image supplied

Rae hopes to take part in My WALK IT again this year. If she does, no doubt Emily will be striding along by her side. “She’s been there through my whole journey,” says Rae. “It’s been good to have her.”

Mark's many miles

Like Lucy and Rae, 20-year-old Mark Rodger had never taken part in WALK IT before, but he has found the support of Crohn’s & Colitis UK immensely valuable, ever since he was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2012.

Mark was working as a Tesco manager but started shielding when the pandemic hit, and had to stay away from work. By last summer he was feeling lonely and realised his mental health was suffering. Then he read about My WALK IT in an email from Crohn’s & Colitis UK and decided to sign up.

This was something I could do to make a difference

As someone who walks regularly – often in the company of his dog, Oscar – Mark knew that completing 10k would be something he could do quite comfortably, and so he decided to add his own twist to the fundraiser. “I planned to walk 10k every day for 10 days. Then, I was talking to my mum and dad, and said, if I reach £500 in sponsorship, I’ll do it for another 10 days. I ended up walking 10k a day for 20 days.”

Mark started local to his home in Dunfermline but eventually, as travel restrictions lifted, he chose increasingly ambitious routes. On one walk, he crossed the Forth Road Bridge between Edinburgh and Fife. On another, he summitted Ben Lomond, one of Scotland’s Munros (mountains over 3,000ft). “There’s nothing better than getting to the top and thinking, wow, I’ve just walked up that!” he says.

MARK: Reached the top of beautiful Ben Lomond on his most challenging walk

Image supplied

For some walks he was joined by a friend, Luke, on others by Oscar the dog. Over the course of his 20-day challenge, Mark raised a brilliant £730. “There were some days when the sun was shining, I was out in my shorts and it was great! There were some days when the rain was pelting down and it was a wet affair, shall we say? But nevertheless I felt I had a reason to do it and I enjoyed doing it.

“The charity’s done a lot for me, and this was something I could do to help. It meant a lot to me that I could raise that money. Every donation makes a difference.”

Read more My WALK IT stories

www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/whyiwalkit