A walk in the park
Three Parks Challenge raises £40,000 for Shooting Star.

Three hundred people completed the first-ever Three Parks Challenge in support of The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice on Sunday. The unique event, which saw walkers complete a 3, 8 or 15 mile walk through Bushy Park, Hampton Court Park and Richmond Park, has raised £40,000 for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

The walkers, which included experienced hikers to leisurely ramblers, braved an early downpour to complete the challenge, which started and finished next to Teddington
Cricket Club in Bushy Park.

Tina Barfoot, whose daughter Jordan
regularly attends Shooting Star House, persuaded a 25-strong group of family and friends do to the 15-mile option decked out in pink tutus and luminous leggings. ‘I wanted people to notice us, and they certainly did that,’ said Tina. ‘I’m extremely proud of our group –
I can’t believe we actually finished it. And the best thing about the day is that even after being pushed along for 15 miles, Jordan is still smiling!’

Nick and Katie Hayday also got a group of friends together to form ‘Team Joshua’. The team walked in support of Nick and Katie’s 9-month-old son Joshua and raised more than £10,000 by themselves. One Team Joshua walker, Tim, had returned from a stag do just hours earlier. ‘Nick and Katie have had a rough time recently and we know they’ve had a lot of support from the hospice, so walking 15 miles on a Sunday morning is the least we can do. I’m really pleased to be able to do this despite the rain, and the hangover.’

A number of local companies helped make The Three Parks Challenge a success. Budgens in Hampton Hill and Coca-Cola provided hundreds of bottles of free water and John Lewis in Kingston provided snacks at the 6-mile checkpoint.

Shooting Star’s Sarah Wooldridge, who organised the event, said it was a fantastic day. ‘To think 300 people of all ages gave up their Sunday morning lie-in to be part of this
is just amazing. A big “thank you” goes to everyone – especially the walkers, the volunteer marshals, the first-aiders and paramedics – who helped make the day a huge success. We will be doing the Three Parks Challenge again next year and with even more involvement from the local community, think it can be even bigger and better!”