Jack explains why he and his brother William, aged 24 and 19, are walking 115 miles from Northampton to Manchester to fundraise for Child Bereavement UK. 

We want to raise as much money for a charity that works closely with young adults and children who are going through the same difficult situation as we did.

On 9 July 2019, eight days after celebrating his 50th birthday, my Dad unexpectedly passed away in his sleep; it was completely out of the blue as there were no signs or health scares. It was a moment that changed my life and that of many others. 

That year, as a family we vowed to raise as much money as possible in my Dad’s name. After losing him so suddenly, we thought the best way to remember his name was to continually make him proud as he watches down on us. I know so many people who have lost parents too so the opportunity to raise money for those who are in a similar position to me is something I want to do. 

The easing of the pandemic felt a perfect opportunity to do something special. On 1 July 2022, which would have been our Dad’s 53rd Birthday, my little brother and I will be walking from my home in Northampton to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. We will walk a total of 115 miles spread over 2 days, finishing at the Etihad on Saturday 2nd July. My Dad was a massive Manchester City fan and supported them since he was a child.

We will be doing the charity walk in support of Child Bereavement UK as we want to raise as much money for a charity that works closely with young adults and children who are going through the same difficult situation as we did. The fundraising team at Child Bereavement UK has been great, answering any question we have, explaining how the money we’re raising will help the charity and even offering to send us t-shirts for our walk.

We’re training by doing as many walks as possible. After losing her husband, my mum got a pet dog named Winnie, who has been a massive support for her. We try and walk Winnie as many times and as far as possible.

We have already gained so much from the challenge – we both have such a passion and determination to continue our Dad’s legacy and this challenge has lit a fire in our bellies to better ourselves year on year to raise more money for charity.

If you are going to do a similar event, just remember why you are doing it - continually remind yourself of others in a similar situation and how the money you raise could help save someone's life. You could be that stepping-stone to helping them slowly go through the grieving process after losing someone. 

Support Jack and William's fundraising on their JustGiving page.

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If you have been inspired to take on a challenge for us, please visit our challenge events page, contact our fundraising team on [email protected] or call us on 01494 569048.