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Charity
My name is Anne (Helen’s Auntie) and I did the Moon Walk last year.
It was a very hot day and the Moon Walk did not start until Midnight.
The idea is to try and rest during the day before, but with two children there is not much chance of that. Anyway we had to leave at 4 p.m. to get to London. We heard that there would be queues to get into Hyde Park, so we thought we had better leave in plenty of time.
My friend Jacqui drove and we parked quite near to Hyde Park. (The car park was £30.00, but it was still cheaper and easier than if we had caught the train). We walked to Hyde Park in our Moon Walk t-shirts with thousands of other woman, and then queued with thousands of other woman to get in and register. Hence we were standing around for at least an hour (in the heat). Four of our team went by car, the rest of our team went by train and we all met up in the compound. Thank goodness for mobile phones or we would never have found each other. There were literally thousand of women, all shapes, ages and sizes – majority in decorated bras. The atmosphere was brilliant.
The year previous to this, we had done the London to Brighton Bike Ride and we had called ourselves the ‘Wide Loaders’, so this year for the Moon Walk we called ourselves the ‘Front Loaders’, which seemed appropriate for us in our bras.
Now we were in, we were given our numbers, food (pasta) and then had to sit on the grass and wait for several hours before it started.
Midnight came and we were called to the start line according to our colours on our number card and off we went. Thousands of people lined Hyde Park to watch and the music was playing and the adrenalin was rushing. Then came the hard bit; the narrow pavements, the traffic lights, the road works, the sweaty heat still at that time of night. It was the longest 13 miles that I have ever walked. The traffic was still as busy at 2 o’clock in the morning as it is in the afternoon. We had to wait for them to stop before we could cross the road. The queues for the few toilets they had placed around were about 30 minutes long, so we limited the amount of water we drank, purely so we didn’t have to go to the toilet. (However I hear they have put a few more along the way this year). It was almost all hard road surfaces which is harder on your feet. The sun rose between the tall buildings in the centre of London and I thought ‘God Am I nearly there yet’, but no – the markers told me we still had another few miles to go yet. It took us four hours. This seems along time, but you have no choice to go with the flow if you are in the centre of all the people. There is no room to walk quicker. You all have to wait to cross the road and this all takes extra time.
However – when we got towards the end and back in Hyde Park it was a wonderful feeling. Somehow you feel good, lively and energetic again as so many people clap and cheer you as you walk the last mile.
I am also glad we took the car, as some of the others then had to walk again to the tube station as they couldn’t get a taxi, then had to stand around and get a train. Some didn’t get home until 2 o’clock the next afternoon.
Overall we were all very pleased we did it. It was harder than we all expected and we would probably do it a little differently if we were to do it again. But the atmosphere was amazing, the people were so friendly and happy, it was organised well (apart from the toilets!) and it was a brilliant achievement.
So now all you have to do is get organised, put a team together, think of a name and apply to do it. Go for it!!!
Have fun
Anne
Thanks Auntie Anne (she hates being called Auntie!)
If you enjoyed reading Anne's experience and would like to be apart of the Moon Walk next year, then please email with the subject title 'Moon Walk' **and once a date has been released WomenZone will publish the details. Bearing in mind that Anne's team couldn't get in the first year they applied we shall be looking at both London and Edinburgh dates and then the fun will begin, getting together to set up a training programme .... yep sorry ladies, training. Essential for this event.
If we have any new readers and you're not sure what the 'Moon Walk' is then please click this link
**Date's should be announced October sometime, before you decide please be aware that there is a registration fee of £40.00 per person with a minimum commitment of £100.00 per person in collected funds.
BUT, before then there is another opportunity to raise money - a sponsored 9K WALK over Dunstable Downs on the 8th October 2006. This is a 'Race For Life' event so proceeds go to Cancer Research.
For more details take a look at the poster outside the Ivinghoe Library and if anyone is interested but doesn't want to do it alone then lets talk.
Do you know of any other charity events coming up that WomenZone ladies (or Castlemead FC men!) could take part in?
Maybe you have an idea for fund raising?
Or perhaps a particular charity that is close to your heart that you would like to see WomenZone raise funds for?
If you do then please email us here.