Walking for Homelessness

On Saturday 10th September, 13 intrepid trekkers, including Watford’s Elected Mayor, Peter Taylor, walked 25km, crossed 16 London bridges, and raised over £6,500 to help fund New Hope’s work in preventing homelessness in Watford and Three Rivers. 

Sarah Shaw, our newly-appointed chaplain and one of the trekkers, explained her motivation for taking part: “I have been blown away by the unconditional love and compassion the staff show to the service users throughout New Hope, even in the most difficult and volatile situations. I was keen to take part in the trek to raise money to help support the wonderful work the charity does with people struggling with addictions and facing homelessness. As it was my first time doing something like this, I really enjoyed the sense of team, the feeling of achievement, and walking with the mayor was especially meaningful as it felt we were representing a small part of Watford.”

Last year, New Hope helped 523 different individuals, providing accommodation to people with nowhere else to go, food and showers to people sleeping rough, and tenancy support to people who had recently moved into their own homes – often for the first time in many years. In the last month, we have seen an increase in the number of people calling our 24/7 emergency helpline and attending the Haven drop-in centre on Whippendell Road.

Peter Taylor, Watford’s Elected Mayor, said “New Hope are a brilliant local charity and I know that they are making a huge difference in the lives of so many people in Watford. It was really good to join other people for this walk and raise money to support their work. Many of us are worried about the massive financial pressure on lots of people at the moment. This makes it more important than ever to make sure that charities like New Hope can provide their essential help.”

Rebecca Palmer, Fundraising and Communications Manager for New Hope, said: “As a local charity, community fundraising is vital for New Hope. We need to raise £500,000 each year to provide our practical, life-changing support for people experiencing homelessness in Watford and the money raised through the trek will make such a big difference. We are so grateful to everyone who took part in the Thames Bridges Trek and their sponsors.”

The trek was organised by Action Challenge and involved walking from Putney Bridge, zig-zagging over 16 historic bridges, to a well-deserved buffet in Southwark Park, just past Tower Bridge.