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Hot and Steamy Trek

July 22 - 24 1994, 63 Mile Sponsored Walk, East Croydon - Seaford

It was a long weekend that they would never forget in a hurry! The aim of this fundraising event was to raise funds for the Anglo - Finnish Usher Holiday (see next episode) by doing a sponsored 63 mile walk from East Croydon (south of London) to Seaford (West Sussex).

Boy, wasn’t it gruelling! About 15 Usher, partners and friends endured the incredibly hot weather by walking on ‘on and off’ roads. Some have had to retire due to injury and exhaustion, some were brave enough to complete the entire course despite finishing three miles short of target.

The first night accommodation at a pub inn was awful as the bedrooms weren’t even fit for a pig (the second night at another pub inn somewhere down the way was much better) and poor Pam and John Morgan, deaf volunteers, who drove the walkers’ heavenly minibus, has had to search high and low for the refreshing bottles of cold water to fill the walkers’ usually empty carrying bottles at checkpoints. The walk raised £600 - £1,000.

The highlight? They have had their moments, but probably the best (possibly the worst!) one was where they took a route into a heavy overgrown and invisible path, enduring the heavy brambles, ivy and breaking wooden sticks holding baby trees, cuts on their legs and ripping bits of their clothing. The so-called ‘path’ seemed to go on forever until they eventually came out...and discovered that they returned to the original spot where they first enttered - they’ve been walking round in a short circle!

© Nick Sturley / UsherLiffe 2005-10. All Rights Reserved.