Dan and his two sons, Henry (age 9) and Joshua (age 12) are very excited to take on this year’s Midnight Walk! It’s Henry and Joshua’s first 10 mile walk, and they’ve been completing lots of training to ensure they are ready.
Henry’s take on the walk is, “I wanted to do something for charity and to give to people that need money to make people's lives better. I felt like if it was a hard challenge people would give me more money, so I can give the charity more money.”
Joshua said, “I just thought it would be quite challenging and because it is good to spend more time outdoors. I don't do too much activity anymore and I thought this would be a good way to get fitter, do something good for others and it will keep me off my computer and iPad for a while.”
Starting with short, flat local walks, the boys have progressed to tougher routes like Scammonden Reservoir, Hill Climb and Steps. They recently completed the 5 mile Ingleton Waterfalls Trail in great time, and plan to take on longer, more challenging walks over summer.
The pair are super excited to take on the Midnight Walk. Henry said, “10 miles will be the longest walk I have ever done and doing it in the dark after midnight is amazing. I think we will finish at about 3 or 4 in the morning, so I am planning on staying up all day after it so I can say I have been awake for 24 hours.”
The family are very pleased with the fundraising amount so far and are incredibly thankful to those that have taken the time to donate. Dan stated, “It really has spurred the boys on, and they constantly check to see if anyone else has donated.” During their last walk there was a particularly difficult section up hill, when prompted to stop and rest for a while, Joshua said, “I can't stop yet Dad. Loads of people have given me their money, so I need to keep going and not quit - otherwise I will be letting everyone down.” Joshua’s fundraising advice to keep people updated is to take regular photos of their walks. Joshua and Henry have been well documenting their journey so far!
When asked what general advice they would give to someone wanting to commit to doing a challenge like the Midnight Walk, this is what the boys said:
“I think the hardest part of the challenge will be the distance. I don't have very good stamina right now, so I need to keep doing walks that are hard to build it up. I think my advice to people will be, don’t give up, if you feel tired you should keep going, take tiny breaks if you need to but if you stop it is much harder to get going again.” - Joshua
“Pick something they enjoy and that they will find difficult. If it is an easy challenge they will get bored and people won’t give up their money for it. Do something hard and make sure you tell everyone you know about it. People's Grandmas and Grandads are good people to give money for challenges!” - Henry
We’re wishing Henry and Joshua the very best in their fundraising journey and look forward to seeing them at the start line on 12th September.
To support the boys, check out their just giving page here
To sign up for a night to remember yourselves, click here
We’re wishing Henry and Joshua the very best in their fundraising journey and look forward to seeing them at the start line on 12th September!