North Downs Walk - Saturday 2nd October
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The 2009 North Downs Walk raised over £8000 for the Surrey Air Ambulance and this year we hope to raise even more. So come and join us on this year’s circular walk from Newlands Corner down to the River Wey and back through glorious autumnal countryside. Please register as a walker and why not invite your friends along too! It really is a case of the more the merrier for the first Saturday in October – the last two years have been great fun as well as raising funds for such a worthy cause.
For more information please visit: http://www.northdownswalk.co.uk/
About the Organisers
Office manager Darren Cooper, 27, was driving to work when his car veered across the road and hit a tree on the other side.
He suffered a fractured skull and eye socket and was airlifted to King’s
Darren spent two weeks in hospital and needed two operations to rebuild his eye socket but has since made a full recovery following the accident in March, 2008.
He is now hoping to raise record amount for the charity from his annual North Downs Walk on October 2 after raising £8,000 last year and £7,500 in the first year.
He said: “I believe that without the help of this brilliant service I would not have been cared for in the same way as quickly as I was and by the right specialists.
“My injuries, very serious as they were, could also have been a lot worse. In fact I could well not be alive to tell this tale.I’m humbled by the charity and that is why I’m choosing to raise funds for it.
“The work the doctors and paramedics do is vital to the grateful people who are unlucky enough to be picked up by the helicopter.
“I will be forever grateful for their hard work and commitment. They saved my life in so many ways.”
Among the 100 or so walkers will be Darren’s mother Diane, brother Philip and a horse rider who was also rescued by the Surrey Air Ambulance following a fall last month.
The 10-mile walk starts at Newlands Corner and takes in Chilworth, Blackheath, Chinthurst and the River Wey before re-joining the
This year the event promises to be extra special with a flyover from the lifesaving crew of the Dunsfold-based MD902 helicopter which needs £1.7m-a-year to stay airborne.
In total, Darren has helped raise almost £20,000 for the charity at a number of fundraising events and by running this year’s first-ever Brighton Marathon.
A true champion of the cause, he will also be carrying out collections outside supermarkets during Air Ambulance Week which runs from September 20.
“The walk has become a firm favourite in the fundraising calendar and the amounts raised continue to rise which just shows how much support Darren has.
“Of course it’s even more touching because he was one of our patients and everyone can see the progress he has made since his terrible accident.”
To sponsor Darren or to join the walk visit www.northdownswalk.co.uk or www.justgiving.com/northdownswalk2010
