Daily Updates

Day Eight - 13th October

Well, here it is the final day and the walk from Newbridge Cycle Path in Bath to the Children’s Hospital. Tiredness and blisters aside, we were all really looking forward to today. There were 30 walkers in total today coming from all over the country including one who had travelled from Cambridge that morning to join us. It was also a pleasure to have Joanna Westlake walking today having been unable to do so until now because of University commitments.

We were assisted by the car park attendant in Bath who was able to show us how to access the cycle path since none of us actually knew that! He was so moved by the challenge that he opened his wallet and handed us £10 – now that is true kindness.

The actual mileage of today’s walk was a little bit of an unknown factor but Jenny Gee had organised a welcome reception at the old Elizabeth Shaw factory in Greenbank and we knew that we had to up the pace to make it there on time in order to then be able to walk on to the Children’s Hospital for another reception at 4 pm. This put a lot of pressure on the already tired walkers but, as usual, they rose to the challenge and pushed on.

We stopped at Bitton Railway Station for lunch and at this point we must thank the people at the cafe who allowed us to use their tables and facilities despite having brought our own food and drink. Whilst we were there two of the walkers noticed a lady sitting alone drop a £5 note on the ground. They picked it up and handed it to her whereupon she handed it back and asked them to donate it to Trek for Becks. Thank you so much – these little kindnesses are very touching.

So onward towards Warmley after lunch where Chris Jelf’s sister met him on her bicycle to wish him and the rest of the walkers good luck.

At just after 2 pm we reached the Chocolate Factory (sadly not in operation) where we enjoyed a glass of Bucks Fizz to toast Clive and Joyce and their successful completion of the challenge.

Shortly afterwards having said goodbye to the walkers who had joined the group today 12 of us, Clive, Joyce, Joanna, Chris, Mike, Rachel, Jane, Mandy, Tim, Richard, Michael and Ellie, walked on to the Children’s Hospital. We were welcomed by Simon Langton-Hewer, Paediatric Consultant, June Dyer, Kathy Wedlock and members of the CF team many of whom knew Becks together with members from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Joyce was handed a beautiful bouquet of flowers and their success was toasted in champagne. What a moment!

After many pictures and interviews it was time to leave, get home and changed before the celebratory dinner at the Potted Parrot in Redland organised by Jenny and Trevor. Mary and Jenny had beautifully decorated the tables. Many toasts were raised and stories of the trip were told. Jenny had lovingly prepared a montage of some of the pictures that were taken during the trip for Clive and Joyce to keep as a memento of their exploits and these will be treasured for a lifetime. Patrick Dean also managed to present them with a lovely picture of themselves and Joanna taken when they reached the Chocolate Factory. Great stuff.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have supported us, not just for the last eight days, but from the moment of concept of the whole idea of walking from Harefield to Bristol. So many people have assisted us to achieve this, too many to mention without blocking the internet completely. They all know who they are and to them we would like to raise our glasses one more time. Thank you everyone. Becks would have been so proud of her mum and dad – and probably unbelieving too that they could achieve what they have in the way that they did it. We can only hope now that the money they have raised will make a difference in the lives of those people who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis to give them a better quality of life in the future.

Home and family beckons.

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Day Seven - 12th October



We drove to Hilperton Marina today in thick fog for the start of Day 7. There was a promise of a glorious day and everyone was in good spirits for the penultimate day of this challenge despite hardly being able to see each other let alone the route they had to follow.

Clive and Joyce were looking good and today they were joined by some new walkers in the guise of the Stevens Family including Martin, Moira and their children Tom and Bethan. Moira Stevens was at university with Joyce and their friendship goes back many years. She was the smallest of the walkers today and had to do two paces to everyone else’s one and as a result was in desperate need of physiotherapy at the end of the walk! Bethan, on the other hand managed to talk non-stop for four hours and was preparing for another three in the car on the journey back to Swansea.

Also joining the group were Liese Webley, Joyce’s niece, Adam Marston, Gill Dann, Patti Page and Christine Moody who all put in a magnificent performance. Ellie is still with us as well as Chris and Julie Jelf who, together with Adam and Patti, ran the last 100 yards of the walk which was pretty impressive.

By the end of the walk the temperature had reached 24 degrees centigrade, skies were blue and the sun shone - the canal was looking extremely tempting. Three men, mentioning no names, managed to get a little sleep on the canal bank after their lunch which had been lovingly prepared by Jane Dean despite having had to host a dinner party herself the night before. She is a real star.

We would just like to say a big thank you to the George Inn at Bathampton for their hospitality. They filled our thermoses and allowed us the use of their facililities. We forgot to mention The Bear Hotel in Hungerford yesterday who were terrific. Nothing was too much of a problem; they filled the thermoses, changed rooms that were not quite what we wanted and all with good grace and humour.

And so the final day looms. The week has gone so quickly and we have seen so many different people join the central walkers. Thank you to all of you who have supported us and been such good company.

Tomorrow the numbers are thought to be in excess of 30 and we will be starting at the Newbridge Cycle Path in Bath heading to our final destination in Bristol. We can’t wait.

Bristol and home beckons.

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Day Six - 11th October


What can we say, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the whole week and today it was even hotter. It is unbelievable for October, a true Indian summer.

The start of the walk today was due to start at the Wagon and Horses in Beckhampton and finish at Chippenham Community Hospital, once again following the A4. However, after a great deal of discussion about the dangers of the A4 thus far and the distinct lack of pavements we felt it better to find another route. So it was that Clive and Mike studied the map and it was decided to start the walk at Horton which is on the Kennet and Avon Canal and which runs parallel to the A4 enabling the walkers to follow the towpath to Hilperton Marina in a safer environment.

The walkers today to join Clive, Joyce, Mike and Rachel were Paul and Anna Seddon and Anna’s beautiful guide dog Emma who travelled all the way from Brighton this morning to be with us. Emma thoroughly enjoyed herself in the canal and was the only one able to cool down, she provided great entertainment for everyone along the route as she unerringly found Clive amongst in the walkers and then proceeded to shake herself dry. Paul was a Registrar at the Children’s Hospital for two years during which time he attended Becks and his daughter, Poppy, and Becks became very good friends. Chris and Julie Jelf joined the group again today and once again Chris managed to bring with him a bag full of naughty (and mostly chocolate) treats which were devoured by the walkers on the basis that they would burn up the calories later on. Ellie Baxter who was Becks’ best friend travelled from St Albans and then there was the super fit group of Louise Poole & Mary Regan (who set a cracking pace) Jenny Gee, Delyth Spikes and Janet Wilcox who strode out in front.

The sunshine made the day for many of the walkers and the riverbank and surrounding countryside was a much better route than the traffic filled A4. As this route proved to be such a success it has been decided to start at Hilperton Marina tomorrow and walk the towpath to Newbridge.

Two days to go and the excitement is building.

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Day Five - 10th October


Another beautiful day here for the start of Day 5 of Trek for Becks. Today the trek is from The Bear in Hungerford to The Wagon and Horses in Beckhampton – the longest day so far at 15.9 miles.

Dave and Sue Godfrey who drove here last night from Leamington Spa, some very old friends of Clive and Joyce, together with Mark Evans our Police Liaison Officer who has advised us throughout the planning stages, joined the hardened walkers – Clive, Joyce, Mike, Rachel and Jane. We are extremely grateful to Mark for all his work on our behalf – every county that we walk through is aware of our activities and he can call on any of them at any time to give us assistance. Indeed we were impressed at the pressure some of his colleagues were under this afternoon who were seen to be guarding a swan and its family that had wandered in the road. Hey ho.

Of course we are very grateful to everyone who has helped us enormously to enable this walk to take place but a very special thanks must go to Trevor Bamford for planning the route and supplying the mapping.

For those who are regular readers Mike’s feet are really causing him some trouble but somehow, walking a little like John Wayne, he has adamantly refused to give in. Joyce and Clive on the other hand show little outward sign of their fatigue. They even managed to record three radio interviews during the walk which was quite amazing. As you may imagine this is very emotional for them but to have to do three quite in depth interviews about Becks and her life whilst walking is quite a feat.

Jane Dean who has walked with us every day so far very reluctantly had to return home after the walk today but will return to the fold on Sunday which we look forward to. Jane has been pivotal to communications with the media which resulted today, in particular, to those three radio interviews mentioned above. There was a lovely article in the Evening Post tonight featuring Clive and Joyce and another small one on Thursday in the Western Daily Press publicising the reason for the walk. Many thanks Jane!

So, five days under our belts, three to go. We are still keeping up the pace and looking forward to new walkers who will be joining us tomorrow when we will tell you more.

Chippenham beckons.

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Day Four - 9th October


We woke up to a very cold and foggy morning which, by the beginning of the walk from the Falmouth Arms in Woolhampton to The Bear at Hungerford, turned into another glorious sunny day.

Gavin Knight and Janet Baker joined the group of walkers today together with Rachel Jenkins. Charles Bourns, who walked with us yesterday, is still with us today (but only just). In his wisdom and willingness to share he decided to bare his blistered feet with the residents of the Wee Waif as they tried to enjoy their breakfasts. Needless to say it soon cleared the restaurant.

The walk today was 15.6 miles and seemed to be the hardest day so far. Mike Roach is still suffering with his feet and was more than glad to reach The Bear in order to have a long hot soak. Charles is suffering too and was more than happy to stop for a drink, chat, photographic session. It was unfortunate that he had to attend a dinner in London tonight and in order to do that he had to catch a train from Hungerford at 3.47. With huge regret on his part he had to leave the walk 1.5 miles before its finale and we are really grateful to him for his company and humour along the way.

Everyone likes a hard luck story and to hear about the aches and pains everyone is suffering but on a more positive note Clive and Joyce, thanks to Shane Cook’s demanding pre-walk training schedule, are holding up extremely well – congratulations in bucket loads to them!

Bedtime gets ever earlier these days. Yesterday, Day 3, saw the walkers depart to their rooms by 9 pm. Snores were heard by 9.15 pm!

We are half way through the challenge and still smiling one and all. We look forward to welcoming a new batch of walkers tomorrow morning.

Beckhampton beckons.

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Day Three - 8th October

Bright and sunny start to Day 3 with everyone in good spirits after a good breakfast. Chris Jelf of the Jelf Group, Charles Bourns and Rob Austen joined Clive, Joyce, Jane and Mike for today’s challenge with Chris leading the pack and feeding them some not so healthy snacks! Despite that Chris Jelf has raised over £10,000+ and we are extremely grateful to him.

For some a bit of discomfort is kicking in – Mike’s feet are in desperate need of a soak and Chris offered Jane a leg massage during the lunch stop – don’t tell Julie!

The 14.8 mile route today along the A4 is not a particularly scenic one, passing through Reading and Theale and the sheer amount of large lorries makes it an intensely noisy experience. It became apparent on the journey back to base that in fact the walkers had not followed the correct route having detoured off the A4 somewhere in Reading and some say that this may have added a mile to the day. Clive is being held responsible and he is paying the price in the bar.

Nevertheless everyone is still smiling. We have now covered a total of 40.7 miles and still managing the 3 miles per hour pace.

Hungerford beckons.

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Day Two - 7th October

Phew, another dry start to the day despite the dire weather forecast. Shane, Andrew, Marie and Martin joined us for today's leg of the challenge to Charvil. We managed a 9.30 start which saw us heading through the delights of downtown Slough. A fine panorama of used car lots and empty office blocks following the A4 towards Maidenhead. Managed to pass through Maidenhead after which the heavens opened just in time for our lunch at the Novello Pub who kindly offered us the use of their 'smoker's shelter' which kept the rain off the sarnies and availed us of seats which were gratefully utilised. Shane Cook, Personal Trainer from Activate in Redland, motivated us to achieve a 3 miles per hour walking rate and we reached the Wee Waif in Charvil at 3.20 pm - a total of 4 hours 40 minutes to cover the 16 miles.

The Wee Waif Lodge has been fantastic. Everything we have asked of them they have given including hot water for the thermoses, placing a collecting box on the bar and making sure the rooms we have are comfortable and quiet. Nothing is too much trouble here. Thank you.

A few blisters but all still smiling. Woolhampton beckons.

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Day One - 6th October


What a warm welcome we received from all the staff at Harefield Hospital. Their caring and encouraging words heartened the walkers for the start of the 112 mile walk from Harefield to Bristol. The sun shone, skies were blue and anticipation for the start of this challenge was high. We were extremely grateful for the breakfast and additional provisions for the day ahead that Harefield Hospital kindly provided.

Martin Carby, Respiratory Consultant, expressed the delight of the team at Harefield for the sum of money we were raising to support their research. The research is for internationally pioneering work to restore marginal lungs to a working state so that transplant is possible and this money will enable more patients than ever to receive transplants. Nick Hunt, Director, Karen Redman, Locum Consultant, Mandy McCurry, Transplant Specialist Nurse, Sherrie Panther Modern Matron Manager Transplantation and VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) and support staff were also in attendance.

Photographs were taken outside the main entrance of the hospital and we were clapped on our way.

Sore feet suffered by a few but no injuries with a good pace achieved – 4 hours walking in all today. Still smiling. Charvil beckons.

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