Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity has teamed up with the GM Ringway, the region’s walking trail, to organise the event. Known as Circle Home. It will include a weekend of walking to raise much needed funds that help support people experiencing homelessness.
Taking place from Friday to Monday September 8 to 11, individuals and groups from Wigan are invited to take part by signing up to do a walk around one or more of the 20 stages and pledge a minimum of £1 per mile.
Designed around existing footpaths, parks and open-access land, the GM Ringway is green in every way and created to be accessed by public transport. The route explores all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester and measures 186 miles long, taking in a wide variety of landscapes throughout.
Wigan residents have been encouraged to sign up for the region's biggest ever sponsored walk.
Across the weekend, the GM Ringway team will offer a series of five Circle Home guided sponsored walks suitable for all ages and fitness levels, providing a fantastic opportunity for friends, families and colleagues to come together in support of this important cause, while enjoying the nature and heritage on their doorstep. While free to reserve a spot, participants will be expected to fundraise for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Additionally, those involved will be able to raise money through the use of the free Go Jauntly walking and wellbeing app. By the time of the Circle Home weekend, all 20 stages of the GM Ringway – and some shorter and accessible walks based on the trail – will be available on the app.
Betfred Super League rugby league team, Salford Red Devils, has helped kick-off the Circle Home fundraising campaign by becoming a champion and dedicating their home game against the Warrington Wolves on Friday September 8 to the cause.
Andrew Read, GM Ringway’s Project Lead said: “Together, GM Ringway and the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity look forward to fostering a sense of community spirit and addressing homelessness head-on through the Circle Home fundraising event. By taking part, the people of Wigan can make a lasting impact and create positive change for those most in need. Homelessness is an issue that affects our community deeply, and by encouraging local people to lace up their walking boots and sign up for a sponsored walk, we hope to play our part in ending homelessness in our region. Every step counts.”
Fran Darlington Pollock, CEO of Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity said: “We’re looking forward to seeing the Wigan community coming out in droves to support this event. Nobody in our city region should be without a safe, secure place to call home. Yet there are many for whom this is out of reach. It isn’t right. Not anywhere, certainly not here. With your help, we can show the world that homelessness has no place in Greater Manchester. Circle Home brings together many organisations across Greater Manchester, and connects with the people and places of our city region in such a powerful way. We’re excited to bring the people of Greater Manchester an event to return to year-on-year, raising funds to end homelessness while connecting with the wonderful place that we call home.”
A list of each of the 20 stages, alongside shorter and more inclusive step-free walks, can be found on the GM Ringway website. Each stage starts and finishes at a public transport stop – in most cases a train station or tram stop – and so it’s easy to tackle two or three over the weekend.
