50th anniversary of the Keswick to Barrow charity walk
We’ve put together a team of colleagues from Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand, plus friends and family to take on the challenge of walking from Keswick to Barrow on the 7th May 2016. This will be the 50th anniversary of the event, and the organisers expect a record number of walkers taking part.
The original idea for this 42.5 mile event started by Vickers in Barrow came from a 1966 speech by the late US President, John F Kennedy who said that “every American should be capable of walking 50 miles a day”.
Around that time, the first Royal Navel Polaris Submarine, HMS Resolution, was under construction at the Barrow Shipyard where several American experts were working on the project. The idea for the walk was conceived, and the objective was to build relationships between the submarine crew and the shipyard workers.
The first event which took place in 1967 had just 86 walkers. By 1976, it had grown to 1732 walkers. The walk now averages around 2500 walkers each year who raise around £300,000 which is distributed to local charities.
The majority of participants take around 8-12 hours to complete the walk, but the spirit of the event is to take part and raise money for good causes across the region.
If you’d like to support our team, visit the official website for more details. Any contribution no matter how small would be appreciated. Wish us luck!
