Teacher's gruelling 12-day walk raises thousands of pounds to support Wigan school pupils

Alison Corkill and her friend Susan Bridgeman decided to use the half-term break to tackle the 192-mile coast-to-coast walk.

They wanted to raise money for well-being and therapy provision at St Aidan’s Primary School in Billinge, where Alison works as a special educational needs co-ordinator.

The pair set off from St Bees, in Cumbria, and walked across the country to Robin Hood's Bay, in north Yorkshire, following the route used by Alfred Wainwright.

They put one foot in front of the other, day after day, and reached their destination in 12 days.

Alison said: “The walk was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The countryside was fantastic and the paths were mainly clear. We met some amazing people along the way. We met quite a lot of people from Australia – it seems to be a challenge to walk the breadth of a whole country. I don't suppose they can do that at home! We also met people from Norway, New Zealand, Germany and Poland.”

It was a gruelling challenge, which saw them cover more than 20 miles some days, while carrying everything they would need for the journey.

On some days they did not pass a single cafe or pub, so they had to make sure they had enough food with them.

While they were “very lucky” with the weather, there was one day when it was “stormy, misty, windy and raining horizontally” and they became disorientated due to the lack of visibility on the moors, but thankfully used GPS to find a road and head to safety.

Alison said: “Some days were tough and the two long days where we walked over 20 miles were really hard work. For the first few days, I found the weight of my rucksack hard to cope with, but once we were on day six, it did get easier.

"Each day I made a video and sent it to school for the children to see and I tried to keep them updated on the walk. The response I got from the school children, the staff and their parents was fantastic.”

Donations poured in and Alison and Susan raised £3,000 for the school and charity Hope’s Heart, which was set up in memory of former pupil Hope Colley, who was just nine when she died from a brain tumour in 2018.

She benefited from the support of a therapy dog, so her mum Ali Colley was inspired to train Hope’s dog Pippa to become a therapy dog and help other children, including pupils at St Aidan’s.

Alison said: “We raised approximately £3,000 for school and the charity Hope's Heart. This means that children in our care will be able to continue to access the therapies that we provide in school. Schools are extremely under-funded and there seems to be an increase in the number of children needing support.”

Donations can still be made at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/coast-to-coast-walk---may-2024.