I've always enjoyed walking in the countryside but two years ago I decided to try walking much further than I had ever done before in one day and completed the Walk Tonbridge Marathon. My grandson, Oliver, was there to greet me on the finish line and the following year he felt inspired to walk the marathon with me, which he did, and between us we raised over £600 for our chosen charities

Since last year we have both had to overcome significant difficulties to get to the start line for the 2026 marathon walk on 20th September. Oliver had a very serious facture of his leg requiring 10 weeks in plaster and I have had prostate surgery. But here I am about to take on this challenge again at the age of 79 in the company of my amazing grandson, who is 67 years younger than me!

The Walk Tonbridge Marathon is an annual event that not only invites walkers to challenge themselves, but also raises money for the Sustain Food Bank, a Tonbridge-based charity, tackling food poverty in the local area. The route follows 26.2 challenging miles through the Kent countryside, finishing at the Old Fire Station in the centre of Tonbridge.

Oliver and I have decided to divide any money that we raise between our two chosen charities.

Oliver’s chosen charity is Home-Start which is a children’s charity based in Croydon. My chosen charity is the Sustain Food Bank, which is run by Tonbridge Baptist Church and provides an average of 85 emergency food parcels every week to people who were referred by front line care agencies. A family parcel costs £30 and an individual parcel costs £20 to put together. It costs around £1,500 each week to run and is entirely reliant on donations. All of the money raised from this page will be donated to Sustain.

Walking 26.2 miles will be tough, but it pales in comparison to the daily struggles faced by children experiencing tragedy, hardship and neglect or families without enough money to put food on the table. Any donation, big or small, will make a real difference in supporting the incredible work of these two charities.

Thanks in advance for your support.