100,000 step challenge against domestic violence
Congratulations to Miss Owen, one of Nova's RE teachers, who has raised over £650 for Swindon Domestic Abuse Support by walking 100,000 steps in just one day.
Miss Owen had signed up for a variety of fundraising events this summer which were all cancelled due to COVID-19. She enjoys challenging herself physically and ran her first half marathon for MIND in September. When the government relaxed the social distancing rules, she challenged herself to walk 100,000 steps, which she predicted would be equivalent to 45 miles.
Here’s her diary for the day:
- 4:30am – a two hour walk along St Andrews Ridge - we tried to watch the sunrise but it was too cloudy! I did this part with my fiancé (Simon) and my dog (Blue).
- 6.30am – after dropping off Simon and Blue off at home, I headed straight back out, walking around Shaw Country Park where I spotted a baby deer!
- 9am – a 3½ hour walk into town, around Old Town, and along the old railway track.
- 2pm – a lunchbreak at home was followed by another 3½ hours walk to Purton, through Mouldon Hill. At this point, I got lost exploring some fields and started to panic as my phone battery was starting to get low.
- 6.20pm – walked to Tadpole Village. This is where it started getting tough. I was sunburnt, sore, and tired and still felt I had loads left to do.
- 8.50pm – I picked up Simon and Blue and walked along the cycle path round the back of Nova Hreod Academy, where we saw more deer!
- 11.20pm - The sun was setting, it was gorgeous and nobody was about. I was exhausted, limping, but I finally did it!
Miss Owen said:
"Ideally I would have done it in one long walk but because of the coronavirus outbreak it didn’t seem practical (no public toilets being open, for example). Instead I kept going out for long walks and stopping back home for a quick break.
“I thought long and hard about which charity to raise money for, and I felt my efforts would be most effective in a small, local one. Swindon Domestic Abuse Support provides a valuable service to families and children who have grown up witnessing abuse. I’ve enjoyed lockdown - I’ve been able to spend time surrounded by people I love, but I’m very aware this isn’t the case for everyone. I know that domestic violence has risen considerably since lockdown, so it was a really important cause and as a teacher, the support they offer to the wider family is close to my heart.
My target was to raise £250 but I wasn’t even sure I would manage that. I’ve been blown away with the support and currently on £640! A huge amount of that was donated in the last couple of hours of my walk. I was sharing my day on social media and I had so much support. People I didn’t even know were spurring me on during the last stretch - it was lovely."
Nick Wells paid tribute to Miss Owen's determination and said:
“At Nova, we talk about our DISC values a great deal: Drive, Integrity, Scholarship and Contribution. Megan models scholarship to her students every day in her role as a teacher. In taking on and seeing through this challenge she’s shown drive, integrity and encouraged others by contributing to such an important cause. Everyone at Nova is really proud of her.”
If anyone would like to make a donation to Swindon Domestic Abuse Support, the fundraising link is: http://gofundme.com/f/100000-steps-over-domestic-abuse
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