Crocs, crème eggs and blast from the past. Meet the brilliant supporters finding heart-warming and inspiring ways to raise funds for the BHWT this month.
Natalie’s marathon mission
When Natalie Winchurch signed up for the London Marathon, she’d never ran anything like that distance before. Indeed, this time last year, she could barely cover a kilometre. Training was proceeding well. Until two weeks before race day, when disaster struck. “I’d done everything right!” Nat tells us. “Working out, solid diet. Then one morning I went to look at the lovely bluebells in a field near me. I slipped down a hole wearing my Crocs and tore my calf muscle.”
Natalie nevertheless ran – with approval from her physio – and finished in a respectable six-and-a-bit hours, despite peeling calf tape, heat, and the odd minor indignity. “A runner in a red phone box costume sailed past me on four separate occasions,” she says. With a photo of Eric, her BHWT rescue hen, on the back of her T-shirt, Natalie did us proud in the end. “When the going got tough, Eric’s energy, and the kind encouragement of the crowd, inspired me to keep going.”
Best of all, she used her time on the course well. “The best thing about going slowly is I managed to have lots of conversations with people about hens. From a publicity point of view, slow and steady very much wins the race.” Natalie has now raised an incredible £2,740 from 108 donors – and has upped her target to £3,000. Help Natalie cross the finish line here.
Jamie’s fast money
Londoner Jamie Sinclair also took on the Marathon for the BHWT, finishing in an incredibly impressive 3 hours, 27 minutes, raising £1,810 for the hens while he was as it. Was it easy? “It was an absolute slog,” Jamie confesses, “but I’m happy with my time. All the training paid off.”
Jamie was so exhausted at the end, he collapsed onto the barrier. Fair enough. But would he do it again? “I loved raising money for the charity. Would love to!”
See you in 2027, legend.
Boncath’s on the hunt
Kids of all ages descended on Clynfyw Care Farm, Pembrokeshire for its annual Easter egg hunt in aid of the BHWT. Now into its second decade, the event is obviously doing something right. “We’ve been running these for 12 years now, and they seem to get busier each year,” says Jim Bowen from our Boncath team.
This year, as well as coffee, cake, crafts, and of course the egg hunt itself, visitors enjoyed something a bit different. “Each year we do something different,” Jim explains, “This year we hosted a presentation of ultra-micro-energy schemes, which Cwm Arian Renewable Energy helped support”.
Cheers Jim – love your energy.
Julie’s donation finds its way home
We appreciate every donation we receive – they’re the lifeblood of what we do. Some arrive by card, some online… and some after spending ten years patiently sitting in a tin. Supporter Julie Elliott recently got in touch to explain the story behind a £100 donation that began when her family “won” Dee, the BHWT’s 500,000th rescued hen. Julie’s daughter (pictured) was around seven at the time, and was so inspired by Dee that she held cake sales to raise funds for the charity.
The plan was to donate the money once they reached £100. But, as so often, life got in the way. “Unfortunately, my son and I both became ill and so fundraising stopped and the tin was put to one side and we’d hoped to continue baking once we recovered,” Julie explains. “Well, we never got back to it, and I am sorry to say it was forgotten about, until I just found the tin!”
Julie recently made the donation online and topped it up to match the family’s original target.
“Thank you for everything that you do, and for being such a wonderful and caring charity.”
Richard walks the walk
Our very own Dorset co-ordinator Richard Caile set out to tackle the South West Coast Path as part of his 60th birthday year, raising funds for the BHWT and Alzheimer’s Society along the way. The original plan was 630 miles in 24 days. The reality was 570 miles over 24 days, which, frankly, is still amazing. Especially when you add in wet weather, slippery hills, early blisters, Storm Dave and a hefty 14kg rucksack.
Richard sensibly adapted the plan as he went, taking the occasional bus rather than pushing himself too hard and risking the whole endeavour. Good call. His daughter joined him for three days, the coastline was magnificent, and at the end of some days Richard still had enough energy to explore the wonderful towns and villages of the Coast Path, which feels like a victory in itself. He now hopes to go back and walk the sections he missed, ideally in better weather. Support Richard’s fundraiser here.
Joan’s got it all sewn up
Joan Garven, our knitting idol, is up to her old tricks. After raising money with her colourful knitted hats earlier this year, Joan turned her talents to something even more adorable – handmade chickens, each crafted to snugly hold an egg.
“I knitted a few of these chickens and hearts for Easter,” Joan explains. “All we need now is a crème egg to complete.”
See? Even if your marathon days are behind you, you can still donate your time and energy to pitch in and fundraise for the hens, just like Joan did.
Where there’s wool – there’s a way.
