In June, Stephanie Cooke from West Bridgford is embarking on a challenge walk to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.
Stephanie, will be walking coast to coast across the widest part of England, from the furthest western point – Land’s End – to the furthest eastern point – Ness Point in Lowestoft. In four weeks, Stephanie will be walking over 500 miles and will be wild camping along the route.
With this in mind, it means she will be carrying all of her camping gear throughout the challenge, needing to average 17 miles a day to finish, which is a huge challenge at the age of 54!
Most people have heard of the End to End walk (Land’s End to John O’Groats) but this is a slightly different challenge. Stephanie said: “I’ve called my challenge the Side 2 Side, a coast to coast route across the widest part of England. So far, I have only come across a handful of people who have done this so I will be one of the first.”
“There is no set route. I have pieced together my own route by connecting a few existing paths, but I am not sure how easy they will be to follow. I’ll also be walking solo and mostly unsupported.”
Stephanie continued: “I am taking on this challenge to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK, who are working to find a cure and raise awareness of this condition. There are currently 153,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK. It’s a progressive neurological condition that causes many debilitating symptoms including tremors, slowness of movement and muscle rigidity.”
“Parkinson’s is often thought of as an ‘old person’s disease’ and while it’s true it mostly affects people aged 50 and over, anyone can get it.”
Day to day, Stephanie works with adults over the age of 65 and has a close friend whose partner was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in their 30s. She has seen first hand the impact Parkinson’s has on people and their loved ones, so decided to do something crazy and look to raise much-needed funds to help Parkinson’s UK work towards a cure.
Stephanie explained: “I’ve always enjoyed walking and putting myself through difficult challenges. I’ve walked the Coast to Coast and the Pennine Way, and completed the Marathon des Sables, known as the ‘Toughest Footrace on Earth’, but I think this is the toughest challenge I have ever faced and will put me right outside my comfort zone!”
Stephanie knows it will be hard to keep going day after day, but it’s nothing compared to what people with Parkinson’s have to deal with every day of their lives.
Knowing that she’ll be making a real difference will keep her going through the pain and it will be amazing to reach the sea at Ness Point.
To find out more about Parkinson’s UK and the work they do, please visit their website: parkinsons.org.uk.
To donate towards Stephanie’s epic challenge, please visit her Just Giving page at: www.justgiving.com/page/stephanie-cooke-side2side