And relax ...

...after what has been a relentlessly busy couple of months. We hosted the Pewsey Downsaround at the end of April. That was followed a fortnight later by the Ridgeway 40. Finally there was this year's LDWA flagship event, the Hunnypot Hundred. And the latter, ladies and gentlemen, is where I'll begin this newsletter. Huge congratulations go to Duncan Baber and John Sreeves, who managed to conquer both the distance and the heat. Unsurprisingly there was a larger then normal number of retirees this year, including Dave Purdy, Lucy Robins, David Scott and John Walker. Everyone who started the event deserves our respect and admiration. I look forward to hearing about John's experience when he recovers sufficiently to join us on a group social walk. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of him as he passed through Sharpthorne ...

Participants have been quick to praise the efforts of the marshals on social media. Volunteers from our group joined those from Dorset LDWA at Checkpoint 9 in Edenbridge. We were kept busy from start to finish, preparing the amazing food on offer; recording the progress of entrants; ensuring their every need was catered for, including pouring water over them; looking after the many retirees, and clearing up at the close. Despite having lengthy waits for the 'body buses', the retirees remained cheerful, courteous and patient throughout, and I thank them for that. Together our groups did what we do best, working hard with smiles on our faces. Thank you to Maria and her team of volunteers. It was a pleasure working with you. I hope we can do so again. Here's the roll of honour from the event ...

Here are a couple of group photos from the day, with us modelling our commemorative polo shirts. Incidentally, I have some polo shirts left over from the weekend, i.e. 4 x women's fit in XL and 1 x men's fit in M. If anyone wants one, please let me know.

Ridgeway 40

Despite being a very different beast, the Ridgeway 40 was equally successful and enjoyable. An army of volunteers ran checkpoints along the route, with Janette, Norma and I, together with a small team of helpers, at the finish to welcome the completers. The latter were unanimous in hoping that the event is able to continue. Let's hope Phil Heneghan can pull something out of the hat that will allow it to do so.

Feedback from the Pewsey Downsaround

I said in the last newsletter that I would pass on some of the comments that I received, so here goes:

• Your event is an absolute delight and has been for so many years. I regularly recommend it to my pals. Having not been able to take part for 3-4 years it was so great to be back (with hubby) and for the first time ever I completed the Bath Beat & PDA double!! Over the moon. SJW
• Thank you so much to you and all the volunteers who made the Pewsey Downsaround such a perfect event, as always. I did the 10 mile walk with three friends and we all had a wonderful time. We really appreciate the time and effort that goes into organising it all and the delicious food too. JS
• I would also like to say how great the event was. It was well planned, all the volunteers were fantastic, the food was lovely and the route was very scenic. I also met some lovely people on route in the form of regulars Neil and Bob. Had an absolutely wonderful time even if it was hard work and I hope to join you next year as well. RR
• Yesterday was my first LDWA event, having joined only a few weeks ago, and it was fantastic! A really great day, very well organised, very friendly, and excellent food (much appreciated!). I'm looking forward to joining more events in the future, and please accept my thanks to you and all the other volunteers who made the event happen. JH
• Thank you to all the volunteers who gave up lots of time yesterday. It was a beautiful route on a beautiful day. CM
• Just a quick line to thank all those involved for a most enjoyable day out on the Downs yesterday. A really well organised and friendly event, with ideal weather thrown in and excellent catering at the checkpoint and finish. It was our second go and we look forward to returning, perhaps upgrading from 10 to 17! TH
• Just wanted to say thank you and congratulations to you and your team for yesterday. Obviously the good weather helped enormously, but it was a fantastic day in other respects too. The organisation was superb, the route was beautiful, and the quality of the food at checkpoints and the finish was absolutely first rate. The friendliness and attentiveness of the volunteers was much appreciated. I am very much hoping to be back next year! NC
• Thank you for a wonderful event yesterday. It's the first time I've taken part in a LDWA event and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I "ran" (not the hill) the 10 mile route and it was beautiful. The plan is to come back next year with the woman I ended up running with to do something longer. Thank you for the event and to your wonderful volunteers. AH

One of my next jobs will be to compile a list of comments and observations from the day, which I will ask the committee to consider at our next meeting. We'll then share them and any resulting actions with our members.

New Walks

Our future walks programme is still looking good, with a decent number ofwalks to look forward to, including a few to the south of the county. I hope you'll be able to support them. Now's the time to think about the remainder of the year, please. There are plenty of dates to fill. If you're out walking, please expect Lucy and I to be asking you to volunteer walks.

Expenses / Treasurer Vacancy

Please can anyone who has expenses from the Pewsey Downsaround and the Hunnypot Hundred that need paying, please can you contact Dave Purdy as soon as possible at dj_purdy@yahoo.com.

Another reminder the we will soon have a vacancy for the post of treasurer. Anyone wishing to take on the role should let the committee know, so that we can ensure the handover process is as seamless as possible.

Forthcoming Walks

Finally, here's the usual look ahead to all the group walks and challenge events that are taking place within a 50-mile radius of Chippenham.

That's it for this newsletter. All our newsletters will be available via the Wiltshire LDWA website. If you have anything to contribute to future editions, please can you get it to me or Sue by the 20th of each month. I look forward to seeing you out on our group walk on the 20th. Between now and then I hope to be taking part in the Baslow Boot Bash.

Warmest regards

Clive

Chair of the Wiltshire LDWA
wiltshire.chair@ldwa.org.uk