Billingshurst Rotary Club: 50-mile South Downs walk for Chestnut Tree House

50-mile walk over the South Downs supporting Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice

Over the years Billingshurst & District Rotary Club has supported Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice, who have suffered a devastating loss of 70% of their fundraising income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has severely restricted the support they can provide to very sick children and their families.

No one is ever charged for the care they receive from Chestnut Tree House but, with less than 6% of their funding coming from the Government, they depend on the support of the local community through donations and income from fundraising activities.

Our Rotary Club was determined to do something to help in a COVID-19-safe way, and during August and the first half of September as well as arranging the Scarecrow competition which was a great success (as reported in last month’s Village Tweet), we organised a sponsored walk along the South Downs Way from Amberley to Birling Gap at Eastbourne.

The walk entailed some 50 miles over 7 days so

that walkers could choose to do from one to seven of the stages. Two of our Rotarians, Sandy Duck and Tony Priestley, completed all seven stages with a collection of walkers from our club together with friends and members of Chestnut Tree House Fund Raising Team on one or more of the stages. It was especially good to meet and walk with the team as it enabled us to get first hand information on how they support the children and families who need the charity’s help.

Great walking, great company and fabulous views. We managed to raise a further £3,500 for Chestnut Tree House, and would like to say a HUGE thank you to our many generous sponsors without whom this would not have been achieved. Sandy Duck, Billingshurst & District Rotary Club

Photo: mid-way pause. Rotary’s Tony Priestley and Sandy Duck, with Chestnut’s Jayne Todd and Symon Todd (husband)