Charitable efforts show it’s like father, like son
A SWANSEA man keeping his father’s legacy alive by holding an annual walk raising money for charities his dad supported has totalled more than £3,000 with this year’s effort.
St George’s Walk is a charity walking event to raise funds for four charities – RNLI, Help for Heroes, BBC Children in Need and the Scout Association.
The first challenge was held last year and was founded in memory of Barry Bond by his son Richard following his passing on April 23, 2020, St George’s Day, aged 71.
April is also Richard’s birthday and prompted him to create a positive focus for the day.
Barry was a Scout leader and Duke of Edinburgh Award leader for a number of years and regularly completed charity fundraising for the four charities being supported by the walk in his memory.
This is his legacy and an opportunity for people to continue his fundraising in his memory.
This year’s 48-mile walk took place over three days and has seen £3,120 of donations pour in since a Justgiving page was launched.
Richard said: “The walk was very successful, albeit exceptionally challenging for all of the participants.
“The fundraising has now passed £3,000 which we are very grateful for.”
This year a number of Barry’s exventure Scouts joined friends of Richard’s from Swansea, the Pontarddulais area and across the UK to walk around Gower, following the Wales Coastal Path.
The walk started on Friday, April 22, in Gowerton, walking to Hill End in Llangennith, a route of 22 miles.
The following day was an 18-mile route from Hill End to Three Cliffs Bay, Penmaen, before the final eight miles to Mumbles on Sunday, April 24, finishing at the RNLI lifeboat station.
Richard said: “I wanted to mark my father’s passing in a positive way and make the anniversary about more than that sad event.
“It was amazing to raise that amount of money last year for the four brilliant charities, which my father supported through his life, and to raise even more this year has been great.”
Richard hopes to continue the walk as an annual event and gradually expand, inviting more people to join in and fundraise in future years, while promoting the benefits of getting out into nature and enjoying moderate exercise regularly.
Anyone wishing to still donate to the fundraising can visit the Justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/stgeorgeswalk