Warwick mum to walk more than 60 miles non-stop for charity

A mum from Warwick will be walking non-stop for more than 60 miles with three of her friends this weekend to help raise money and awareness for Dementia UK.
Helen Venn will be joined by three other women from Warwickshire for the Cotswold Way walk.Helen Venn will be joined by three other women from Warwickshire for the Cotswold Way walk.
Helen Venn will be joined by three other women from Warwickshire for the Cotswold Way walk.

Helen Venn, from Chase Meadow, will be taking part in the Cotswold Way challenge this weekend.

The challenge starts from Bath and finishes in Cheltenham.

The 49-year-old will be joined by Katherine, who also lives in Chase Meadow, Caroline from Hampton Lucy and Helen from Kenilworth, for the 100k event.

Helen Venn with her family.Helen Venn with her family.
Helen Venn with her family.
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“We will be walking just over 62 miles non-stop and including walking through the night,” said Helen. “We set off from Bath at 8am on Saturday and we hope to do it in 30 hours.”

Helen and her team mates have been training for the last six months to help with the distance and walking at night.

The Cotswold Way Challenge specifically raises money for Dementia UK. The charity has a special place in Helen’s heart.

She said: “My dad and my aunty have got dementia. People don’t understand as a family how hard it is but there is so little people can do to help.

Otto will be joining the team for their last 10K.Otto will be joining the team for their last 10K.
Otto will be joining the team for their last 10K.
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“The person with dementia doesn’t know how bad they are and it is really difficult.

“I am doing this event to raise funds for the charity and to raise awareness and to try and get people to sign up to be “Dementia Friends”.

“I am a trustee at Chase Meadow Community Centre and we host sessions for “Dementia Friends”, where people can support those who have dementia and their carers.”

Helen did a similar challenge last year for the charity.

She said: “In May 2016 I walked 100km non-stop from London to Brighton in just over 30 hours to raise funds for Dementia UK and also to raise awareness around this condition, which can be devastating for the people who have dementia, their carers, friends and family.

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“It was a tough 30 plus hours and I swore I’d never do it again. I decided to take up a challenge again after I had forgotten the pain after last time.”

Helen met her team mates through a fitness group at Chase Meadow Community Centre and asked them to join her on her challenge.

She said: “Last year I did the challenge by myself but this year we are doing it as a team and we all help each other out. I am really going into this one really positive. It will be different to do it with people this year, they are so nice and supportive and we have a real laugh. We are going to give it our best shot. Joining us for the final 10km will be Helen’s dog Otto as well as my children Ella and Fin and my husband Paul.”

Helen Venn with her family.Helen Venn with her family.
Helen Venn with her family.

The Cotswold Way event can be done as a 25k, 50k or 100k walk.

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Helen and her team mates will be taking on the 100k challenge for Dementia UK.

Helen’s mum, Joan Barton, has been knitting hedgehogs and owls and asking for donations for them to help raise funds. So far she has raised more than £200. Joan’s creations are available at Kiwi Beauty on West Street, Warwick.

So far Helen has raised £670 on her Justgiving page.

To donate to the page go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/helenvenn49

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