Mayor Completes 55-Mile Wokingham Way Walk in Support of Building for the Future

Wokingham Borough Mayor, Cllr Carol Jewell, has completed an impressive 55-mile walk around the entire border of the borough to raise funds for our charity.

As part of her mayoral year, Cllr Jewell selected Building for the Future as her chosen charity and set herself the challenge of walking The Wokingham Way, a route taking in many of the borough’s best-loved landmarks, villages and green spaces.

Rather than tackling the walk all at once, Carol completed the route in weekly stretches of 10-13miles, a commitment that became increasingly demanding as winter set in.

December and January brought particularly tough conditions, with heavy rain, flooding and unavoidable re-routing along several sections of the path. Despite this, the weather failed to dampen Carol’s spirits, and she carried on regardless.

Carol was often joined along the way by her daughter, fellow councillors and members of the Loddon Valley Ramblers, enjoying both the companionship and the opportunity to discover parts of the borough she had never visited before.

Along the route, Carol and her fellow walkers were warmly supported by a number of local businesses and organisations, who provided much-needed refreshments, encouragement and - on occasion - a sponsored taxi ride home.

Our thanks go to the Flower Pot Hotel, Aston, Henley-on-Thames; Shurlock Inn, Shurlock Row; Bird in Hand, Sandhurst; and David Lloyd Club Reading for their generosity and hospitality.

Carol is aiming to raise £1,000 for Building for the Future, helping to support disabled children and young people across the area. You can support her here on JustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/page/carol-jewell-charity-walk

Reflecting on the achievement, Jane Holmes, CEO of Building for the Future, said:

“Our heartfelt congratulations go to Wokingham Borough Mayor Carol Jewell on completing the full 55 miles of The Wokingham Way — an extraordinary achievement that speaks volumes about her determination, generosity and commitment to our community. To chair a council meeting late into the night, travel to support family and then lace up her walking boots with so little sleep is impressive enough. To do so week after week, navigating flooding and challenging conditions, while continuing to lead by example as Mayor, is truly inspiring. We are deeply grateful to Carol for choosing to support our charity and for championing our cause with such energy and good humour throughout the walk. We’re also thankful to the fellow councillors, members of the Loddon Valley Ramblers and the many local businesses and organisations — Flower Pot Hotel, Aston, Henley-on-Thames; Shurlock Inn, Shurlock Row; and Bird in Hand, Sandhurst — who offered encouragement, refreshments and warm welcomes along the route. Seeing the final leg conclude outside our new charity hub at Thames Valley Park was a particularly proud moment for us, and we were delighted that the walkers were so generously welcomed afterwards by Hannah Cox and her team at David Lloyd Club Reading, and Dorota Dregier, Estate Manager at Thames Valley Park. Carol’s walk perfectly captures the spirit of Wokingham: resilient, supportive and community-focused, and we cannot thank her enough for helping us raise funds for the area’s disabled children and young people.”

PHOTO CREDIT: STEWART TURKINGTON / WBC