Walk for Skin
Earlier in the year I’d been fortunate enough to have the chance to be photographed in a Battersea studio with Denise van Outen (and two other girls who’d never even appeared with Johnny Vaughan on Channel 4′s Big Breakfast) for the Walk for Skin 2009 appeal. The Walk, organised by the British Skin Foundation, is designed primarily with families in mind and involves an approximately 3-mile stroll. In London, this is a pleasant meander through Kensington Gardens.
It was quite near the deadline that I decided to actually do the walking part. I realised I needed to get my charity work on par and make up for the complete lack of any charitable actions I’ve carried out to date. I’d chosen to walk 9 miles instead; firstly because I believed 3 miles wasn’t taxing at all, secondly because the further the walk, the more money is donated (a scientific fact), and thirdly because the route I designed would take me right home to my doorstep.
You might think a walk starting in the lovely Kensington Gardens is easy, but what about if it had rained? I may have forgotten an umbrella. I was also running the risk of a blister if I’d chosen to wear uncomfortable shoes. In the event I was quite prepared and it was a beautifully warm day. A lucky escape.
I’d trained in earnest with walking to and from the train station each morning as per usual; I’d committed to not driving anywhere until the day of the walk (or until I got a driving license, or indeed any interest in learning to drive).
Additionally the walk took place on a Sunday. If I was of any religious persuasion, that could well have been time out from my busy worship schedule. The sacrifices I make…