We are delighted to share that Karen and Angela are taking on a 110KM Walk along the Via Francigena for Mid Kent Mind.
You can read more from their fundraising journey below:
On 23rd April 2022 (slightly delayed – thank you COVID!) , we will finally be setting off on a 110km (roughly 68 miles) walk along the historic route, the Via Francigena. We will be walking from Viterbo in central Italy, to Rome Italy, also known as the Camino to Rome. From medieval Viterbo, as Francigena pilgrims we will follow Roman roads, paths, forest trails and dirt tracks across the scenic, hilly and vibrant green Lazio countryside.
Who are the people taking the steps? Our names are Karen Willis and Angela Pendleton and we both live in Maidstone, Kent. As professions, Angela Pendleton is a manager at KMPT MH Trust and Karen Willis is a therapeutic provider within disability services, having previously worked within mental health services for numerous years. As keen ramblers we understand the importance that walking can have on our mental health and that is why we chose not only this charity, but also this fundraising activity. We are doing this to help raise funds for our local mental health charity Maidstone and Mid-Kent Mind and to raise the overall awareness of mental health.
Why did we choose this charity? Last year we lost friends to suicide and so this topic is very personal to us. But alongside this, we strongly believe in the work that our local Mind charity does.
Below you can read some updates – and see some photographs – from some of their most recent fundraising adventures!
Art Exhibition At St Pauls Church in Penenden Heath – Friday 8th April
On Friday the 8th of April, Angela will be hosting a Art Exhibition in Penenden Heath which will be contributing to both her and Karen’s Italian walking challenge.
40 different paintings will be available for people to bid on. You can view the full catalogue of paintings by clicking here.
Each painting will start bidding at £25. All artwork is framed and A3 sized. To make a bid, you can e-mail angelapendleton@nhs.net or can call 07793 069585.
We hope to see you on the night at the exhibition!
Cake & Gin Sale At The Chequers Pub In Loose – 12th of March 2022
On the 12th of March, The Chequers Pub were kind enough to host a Cake Sale fundraising for Karen and Angela’s cakesale – with Karen organising a fantastic cake sale with lots of delicious treats available for people in Loose who wanted to pop in and support a local cause.
We wanted to say a huge thank you to Karen for organising this, and to the Chequers for making it possible. We also wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who was generous enough to provide a cake for the event. And, of course, we would like to thank people in Loose who popped in to support the fundraiser! Our Community Engagement Officer, Tom, popped in to take some photos – and he said it was lovely to see so many people together again after a couple of years when fundraisers like these couldn’t happen.
Please enjoy a short photo gallery from the day below!
If you’d like to contact Mid Kent Mind’s Community team about fundraising, or anything else, you can e-mail community@midkentmind.org.uk.