Fifth Former Joseph Hart and three of his friends walked 50km (31 miles) around the city of Cambridge on Easter Saturday in aid of Parkinson’s UK, raising £4,100 to date.
The boys, who all have personal experiences of Parkinson’s disease, decided they wanted to do their bit to help speed up a cure, which is currently due for roll out in 2024. Jack’s own grandfather sadly died with Parkinson’s in 2015, after a long battle with the disease. The grandmother of another of the boys undertaking the charity walk was diagnosed in 2016 and, while her condition is progressively getting worse, she is fighting hard against the neurological disorder.
The boys’ route incorporated the 31 colleges of the University of Cambridge, which accounted for approximately 10km. For the remainder of the walk, they followed the River Cam to the point it meets the River Great Ouse, south of Little Thetford near Ely. They set off in the early hours of Saturday 3 April, and completed the walk in under 11 hours with only a 30 minute break.
Joseph told us, “The disease had a major impact on some of our lives, and we would like to give as much as we can. This was by far one of the hardest things physically and mentally we all have ever done. We limped over to the finish line (in front of the gates of our prep school) and stood for a picture and then collapsed several seconds later!
“Reflecting back it was one of the most rewarding moments I’ve ever had. Although I had countless blisters on my feet it was all worth it. Our original target was £500, and insanely so far we are at £4,100. This is a staggering total and far from what we were expecting to receive. Looking forward into the future we would definitely like to take on another challenge like this in the summer to keep raising money for the Parkinson’s cure as it’s soon to be rolled out.”
If you would like to support the boys, you can donate via their Just Giving page here.