The Daylight Centre Fellowship has given its heartfelt thanks to our companions Karl, Andy and staff member Adam for raising £750 through a sponsored walk.
The three fundraisers put their best feet forward for the walk organised by Karl at the end of last month. They completed a return trip from the Emmaus Village Carlton community to the Daylight Veggie Patch in Wollaston, clocking up over 20 miles.
Sarah Heighton, Operations Manager for the Daylight Centre said: “A big thank you to Karl and Emmaus for their support in raising vital funds for the Daylight Centre. Karl organized and performed a sponsored walk from Emmaus in Carlton to our Veggie Patch in Wollaston, and back again.
“This is around a 20-mile walk of which Karl achieved in only a few hours. Karl’s efforts have helped raise £750 that he is kindly donating to the Daylight Centre. Amazing achievement Karl, well done!”
Supporting vulnerable people
The Daylight Centre supports people affected by homelessness, poverty and social exclusion, running a community support hub, a food bank, charity shop and Veggie Patch with community cafe. All is aimed at supporting vulnerable people and enabling them to lead healthier, happier, independent and purposeful lives.
Karl said about the walk: “It was an idea that came about at one of our meetings on the first of each month when we choose charities to support.
“I heard that the Daylight Centre had been seriously struggling due to current pressures, and the council making cuts and so on. When I heard this, I put all my time and energy into planning this walk for them as they do such fantastic work.
“The day was amazing, a great team effort, we felt like we’d made a difference that day. We had great weather for it too, which was a surprise because Sunday it had been raining but then Monday was beautiful for the walk. It then went back to rain again on Tuesday, so that day was meant to be; it was an amazing window.
“The Daylight Centre have been very appreciative of what I’ve done, which means a lot. It was just a good feeling to do it. It’s the third sponsored walk I’ve done – I did one for the Milton Keynes Winter Night Shelter and one for Emmaus.”
Karl thanked Matt from the local Co-op who donated water to the team for the walk, keeping them hydrated during the warm weather.
Grateful for support
Karl, who has been an Emmaus companion for around two and a half years, works as part of the maintenance team, maintaining the community rooms and main buildings.
Thanks to training while at Emmaus, Karl has achieved his level two painter and decorator qualification and aims to complete a plumbing course next year.
“I’m looking forward to getting a few more skills under my belt. Emmaus has done a lot for me, I’m really grateful for their support,” he said.
“I’ve got another sponsored walk planned for around the same time next year for the Beford Food Bank, so that’s the next one in the pipeline. My first two walks covered about 76 miles which really took it out of me. I thought I’d break it up a bit this time.”
For more information about the Daylight Centre Fellowship, and to find out how to order their vegetable packs, visit their website: www.daylightcf.org Photos show the fundraisers during their walk, having some light refreshment en route and arriving at the Daylight Veggie Patch to be greeted by the Daylight Centre team.
