A COUPLE from Frome have set off on their 100 mile walk from Looe to Land’s End to raise money for Tommy’s in memory of their son, Joe, who died in April, only three and half weeks old.
Robin Spalding and Lou Hart set off on Saturday 10th June, planning to cover 100 miles in 12 days, raising money for the baby charity Tommy’s, which funds research into the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications that lead to miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.
The couple are walking in memory of their son Joe who was born premature on the 18th March but died three and a half weeks later on the 12th April.
Robin and Lou were joined by friends on the first day and walked 13 miles from Looe to Fowey. Describing the challenging first day, Robin said, “We left Looe at 10.30am with Jon and Cath Duckworth, who we met at St Michael’s Hospital and who sadly also lost their son Harvey. Our friends Amy and Laura also joined us.
“It was a wet day and a very rugged part of the coastal path with lots of ups and downs, making for a challenging first day. We arrived at Fowey early evening and had a well-earned hot shower and lovely meal.”
The couple’s story has continued to inspire people as they trek along the coast. “As we left Fowey we were chased by someone who’d just Googled what they had seen on our t-shirts and wanted to slip us a fiver,” said Robin.
On day five of the walk the couple took a well earned rest day, but the reason for their fundraising efforts was never far from their minds. “The rest day was a strange one. We sunbathed all day on the beach at Porthcurnick, but there were many young families with babies around and it kept us thinking about how we missed Joe.”
The couple have so far raised over £4,000 for Tommy’s, smashing their target of raising £3,000 by the time they have completed the walk.
You can donate and find out details about Walk for Joe by visiting https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/walkforjoe. You can also follow Rob and Lou’s blog at https://robspalders.wix site.com/mysite
