Page 279 - She's One Crazy Lady!

I always thought how interesting it would have been to have switched on a ‘pause button’ whilst everyone was walking – to stop and ask each person ‘why’ they were walking – what were their stories? There must have been a million and one reasons... looking back now at the thousands of photographs I have from all of the Walks (and a ‘huge’ thank you to the dozens of photographers who came along willingly and donated their shots!) I can clearly see the ‘togetherness’ and the fun that was had. To see the ‘sea of walkers’ year on year, make their way around the Park was something else – indescribable!
I cannot begin to express my thanks to the entire and
ever-growing Crazy Hats ‘Walk Team’ who all worked so,
so hard – on the day and in the months beforehand and
afterwards – for once we got back, the following year’s
date had to be set without delay and a postmortem held
to discuss the one just gone! Sincere thanks to Oliver
and Jane Wicksteed – who made ‘Wicksteed Park Hats’ and came along to support many of the Walks, always making us feel so welcome and like part of ‘their team’ – happy that the Park was being used in the way Oliver’s Grandfather, (Charles Wicksteed, who, having bought the land in 1913, opened to the public as a Charity in 1921) – would have loved... a Park for ‘the people’. (In our case, not just from Northamp- tonshire either – with Avon’s support and Avon’s name behind us, we had people from many other counties enter and even regular walkers from America!)
And last, but not least, a very special ‘thank you’ to my wonderful Mum who was able to cut the ribbon for an amazing ten years running – the last time, not at the start line, but from inside the car as she was quite poorly, but absolutely determined to be there!
How sad it was in 2020 – what would have been our 18th Walk – that we had to ‘postpone’ it...
I offer you food for thought here...
There is a saying that we should never judge a book by its cover. Well,
in this instance we should never judge a man wearing a mac’ walking towards you with his hands in his pockets ....
I can’t remember which walk it was but every year, a few days before the day of the Walk, Marilyn and I would always walk the route to check for anything that could possibly create a problem, with time then to rectify any issues. One Sunday afternoon at the far end of the lake, we had just stepped on the bridge. It was dusk and there was no one else around. Suddenly, Marilyn whispered to me:
“Don’t look now Glennis, I think we’ve got a flasher.”
“A what?”
A man was walking towards us. He was wearing a mac, his collar
“
How sad it was
in 2020 – what
would have been
our 18th Walk
– that we had to
‘postpone’ it...
Covid! ”
turned up and he had his hands in his pockets.
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