Walk for Life

Over 140 walkers took part in the inaugural ‘Walk for Life’ at Delamont on Saturday.  “We were thrilled with the response” said Catherine Brown one of the organisers.  “Seeing the walkers spread across Delamont on a glorious day was wonderful.  So many people showed they cared about Children and Youth work in the town and it was good to see them out and about”.

Three walkers decided to go beyond the normal walks at Delamont and started a marathon walk from St John’s Church in Killyleagh at mid-day.  Chairman of the Council Eddie Rea and the Reverend Jerome Munyangaju started the Walk by sending Arlene Leahy, Pamela McClengahan and Rachel Bennet on their way.  Arlene and Pamela had been in training for a number of weeks and had always intended to walk the marathon distance,  Rachel was set to join them for the first 5 – 10 miles, but was ‘encouraged’ by the other girls to walk the whole distance.  Alain Douglas who joined the walk for the first ten miles said “their pace was frightening, I did my ten miles in a record time for me”.  The girls started in Killyleagh and then did 6 laps of Delamont.  Unsure that they had completed the marathon distance they did one additional lap ‘just to make sure’.  The girls finished their walk at 5:30pm where they were greeted at the Heron’s Nest at Delamont by the other walkers who had completed the shorter distance walks.

Prior to the walk the advertising campaign had said that Walk for Life was intended for all ages and all level of fitness.  During the registration it became apparent that this message had got home as the walkers were as young as a few months (in a buggy) to over 70 years of age, there were even a few dogs who completed the course! 

The atmosphere was carnival like as the walkers set off in brilliant sunshine at 3pm to walk 2.5 miles, 5 miles or 10 miles, the majority opting for the middle distance.  Robert Kirk was first home in the 10 mile walk and special mention should be given to Natasha Little, aged 11, who completed the 10 mile walk with her father Bob.   

Nearly one hundred people walked the 5 mile walk which showed the natural beauty of Delamont Country Park.  “I’ve seen parts of Delamont I didn’t know existed” said Martin Rice one of the walkers.  “The scenery around the pond is fantastic, I’ve had a great time, though I’m a little tired!”.   “The buzz at the walk was fantastic” said Roberta Kirk another of the walkers.  “The walk has brought the whole town together, it is great to see so many people out there.  A big thank you to the organisers for this well organised walk”.

Killyleagh has a recently formed St John Ambulance unit and it undertook one of its first local duties at the event.  Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for the rest of the walkers, there were no incidents to deal with all day! 

At the end of the walk everyone gathered at the Heron’s Nest at Delamont for a BBQ and entertainment provided by the John Brown University of Arkansas and local youth workers.

Walk for Life was organised to fund children and youth activities in Killyleagh and beyond.  The organising team would like to thank their commercial sponsors who through their generosity ensured that every penny raised by every walker will be put to work by the nominated groups. 

The tag line Walk for Life used was ‘Make a difference not excuses’.  “When everyone was taken into account over 170 people came to Delamont on Saturday and did just that” said Catherine.  When asked whether ‘Walk for Life’ would become an annual event her only comment was “We’ll see”.  Reverend Jerome was far more enthusiastic “this Walk has not only raised money for good causes but has brought the whole community together” he said.  “This should be another event that is put on the Killyleagh calendar”.

Commercial Sponsors - Thank You!

Many thanks to our corporate sponsors whose generosity means that every pound we raise goes directly to our good causes.

Fast Tyres
Dupes Videos
Richard Leahy
International Bar, Killyleagh
Central Bar, Killyleagh
Campbells Auto Repairs
Phlebotomist Team – Ulster Hospital Dundonald
Paul Cash Roofing, Killyleagh
Nationwide Building Society
The Focused Organisation
Strangford Lough Brewing Company North America

About Walk for Life

Why is it called Walk for Life?  We truly believe that the activities we are raising money for will change the lives of Young People both physically and spiritually.  Walk for Life will support:

• Two young people through High School in Rwanda, providing books and schooling to give them a better start in a new life
• The Drop-In Centre in Killyleagh to provide a much needed Christian resource for the young people of Killyleagh, a safe place of fellowship and fun
• St John’s Sunday School and Merge Youth Fellowship which help Children and Young People grow in the Spirit

By raising money for these activities we truly believe we can change lives, both near and far!

Make a Difference, Not Excuses!

Walking

The walk is intended for all ages and all levels of fitness!  Children, Parents, Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles, Friends are all welcome.  We have a 4 kilometre walk (2.5 miles) that has already been tested on the younger members of our Sunday School, a 8 kilometre walk (5 miles) for those slightly older or not fit enough to go for the big one, the 16 kilometre walk (10 miles).  Each of these walks are in Delamont Country Park and will be marshalled.  Children under the age of 12 will walk in escorted groups.

Sponsor our Heroines

Two members of the congregation at St John’s , Arlene and Pamela will be walking a marathon distance around Delamont.  Starting on Saturday morning they hope to complete the distance to join us for the post walk celebrations.  Even if you feel you can’t walk, you can raise money for Arlene and Pamela who truly are showing the Walk for Life spirit

But that’s not all

We’ve hired the Heron’s nest at Delamont as our base.  After the walk entertainment will be provided by the John Brown University from Arkansas and this will be followed by a BBQ.  This is our way of saying thank you for collecting sponsorship and taking part in the walk.  Don’t worry, we aren’t going to spend your money on this, we have some commercial sponsors who have kindly given us money for the post walk activities.

What next

You can Donate online via our Walk For Life Pay Pal Account. You do not have to have a paypal account yourself just a credit or debit card.

Just click on the button below to get started.

e-mail tonyd@slbc.ie or call 028 4482 1461(during office hours) to register for the walk and receive your sponsorship forms.  We can also supply Posters and Leaflets explaining about Walk for Life to support your sponsorship efforts.  For those of you who are computer savvy, we’ve also attached copies of the posters and leaflets below.

wfl poster

wfl leaflet