40 years of the Workington to Keswick Walk

Not many people know the Workington to Keswick Walk started as a training exercise for the London Marathon.

Nor that it was thanks to people working for one of the area’s largest businesses at the time that it still takes place today.

Val Wilson has been taking part in the 32-mile walk since it began in 1977 as well as helping with organising the event for nearly as many years.

The 55-year-old says: “The history behind the walk is that a group of guys who worked at the steelworks decided they wanted to do some practice for the London Marathon.

“While doing that they thought it would be a good idea to make it a sponsored walk and raise money for Mayfield School in Distington.

“That’s how it all started. I worked at the steelworks so I took part to support them and after a few years I got involved with organising it. The steelworks was massive – 12,000 worked there and we had about 300 taking part the first year.”

Now a Sellafield worker, Val says she was never really into walking but she liked to keep fit and also used to teach aerobics.

She took part in the walk yearly until she started having trouble with her hip three years ago.

Val, of Mason Street, Workington, says: “I used to take part in the event, now I just do the organising, walker support and closing the check points on the day.

“It used to be my biggest charitable event of the year. If you look at old pictures of the walk, you’ll see people in dress shoes and girls in miniskirts. At the time technical gear was very expensive.

“Now these clothes are affordable and you see people all geared up, although we’ve had people doing it in fancy dress. We had a penguin one time and someone dressed as a banana.”

Each year committee members choose three charities and people are asked to raise money for those causes and to pay a minimum entry fee of £40.

This year’s walk on Sunday will support Hospice at Home West Cumbria, Allerdale Disability Association and, in memory of Sean Crozier, the Henderson Suite at Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital.

Sean, of Eaglesfield Street, Maryport, died at the age of 27 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Organisers also make smaller donations to organisations who help on the day such as Workington Royal British Legion, Seaton Scouts, Buttermere Village Hall and Maryport Inshore Rescue.

Val says: “We always raise a decent amount of money, normally around £10,000 and above. It’s all for local charities, it does make you feel you’ve achieved something when you count the money at the end and people are always so grateful when you hand it to them.

“People like to know that the money stays locally and that it will benefit our communities.

“People who take part are also very appreciative, we always receive some lovely comments.

“They get refreshments during the walk and there’s loads of volunteers going up and down the route to help.

“We have people of all ages taking part, up to people in their 80s.

“It is a big challenge. Some people don’t realise how challenging it can be to walk 32 miles. Some people do it once and love it and others just hate it and never do it again.

“I’ve done it in the sun and in the rain and wind, which obviously isn’t too enjoyable. But because the walk is in March you could have all sorts of weathers in one day, from snow to sunshine.

“We had to cancel the walk one year because of foot and mouth and postponed it for two weeks another year due to snow.

“It’s an achievement when you finish, but during the route you have so many different feelings. Going over Honister Pass is tough and then you start see-ing Keswick but you just never seem to get there.

“One year we couldn’t go over Honister because of the snow, so we had to go back and go over Whinlatter, through Braithwaite and into Keswick.”

Val says the number of participants dropped as years went by and from 300 people taking part in 1977, entries now tend to be between 150 and 200.

She adds: “If you look at the Keswick to Barrow walk they are around 2,000, but people do like smaller events like ours.

“In the past, we used to get support by the steelworks. They used to let us do some of the preparation work during work time. Now everyone has families and other engagements and it’s more difficult to keep up with everything.

“We do try to push it as much as we can but it’s only a small committee. We all have in common that we used to work at the steelworks, every single one of us.”

But for Val, the 32-mile course has also been a family thing.

She says: “One year we all went as a family with my four brothers and my father. It was nice because we also got a little memento, a frame saying that the Wilson family had taken part.

“My daughter Sarah Caton has taken part for many years. She’s 20 and each year she tries to beat the time of the year before. She’s come first in the junior section for the last three years.”

Organisers are hoping that a record number of people will take part in the event to mark its 40th anniversary.

Val says: “It’s a challenge but it is so rewarding when you get to the end and knowing that you’ve helped raise money for charities that work in the community.”