On a rather wet Wednesday afternoon, The Great Southern Walk committee ventured over to the site for the start and finish of the walks, to begin planning all the necessary logistics!

This is the inaugural year for The Great Southern Walk and it was really exciting to see the site and imagine all the walkers, the stalls and the cheering as people come back through the finisher’s arch!

But for now, there was a lot of discussion about parking and where to site registration and other possibly not as exciting but very necessary planning!

The walks both start and finish at the Brett Group Offices in Canterbury, which are nestled in amongst fields on the outskirts of the city, just outside Thanington. You’ll find the offices up a drive, off a turning on the roundabout on Ashford Road which runs towards Chartham. We’re putting a huge banner outside the site so no one will miss it!

We are so lucky to be able to use this site, as there is plenty of space for free parking and for all the stalls and finish line celebrations! Huge thanks to all at Brett for their generosity in allowing us to base the Walk HQ there.

Tim Brett is part of The Great Southern Walk committee and was executive chairman of The Brett Group for nearly 40 years. He explained:

“I’ve been supporting Prince of Wales Youth Club for many years, and I wanted to set up an annual fundraising event for the club. A sponsored walk seemed like a good idea, especially with the impact that could have on the community in terms of mental health, wellbeing and healthy living. We got other people involved in designing the walk, and brought them onto the committee of volunteers to help steer this walk to success!”

Joey Wicks manages the Prince of Wales Youth Club. He shared:

“When Tim suggested the idea of the walk, I knew this was something that would be a fantastic idea. Something that could really bring the community together. Tim and I talked about adding another charity to benefit from the walk and I thought of Rising Sun. We’ve worked together for many many years, and it just felt right to include them. It also helps having more people working on it, using all our skills together”

Even though this is just the start of the walk, you get a real sense of the beautiful Kent countryside the walkers will be exploring. Even on a dreary soggy day, the lush green hedgerows full of life, and the wonderful vistas in the distance show what a gorgeous walk this is going to be.

Get your tickets now, and look forward to breathing in fresh air, have inspiring views and the satisfaction of completing a challenge for a really great cause!