On 6th April 2020, with the global pandemic in full swing in the UK and across the world, Captain Sir Tom Moore captured our imagination to help support the under pressure front-line heroes. At 99 years old, he embarked on a challenge to walk 100 laps around his Bedfordshire Garden. Along the way, he captured the hearts of many and managed to raise a staggering £33m for NHS charities. Captain Moore, died a little under a year later, on 2nd February 2021, after contracting the virus. He was 100 years old, a special number to him.

In his honour and to help keep his charitable spirit alive, his family are encouraging people to participate in the Captain Tom 100 Challenge this weekend. What would have been his 101st Birthday, people are asked to create their own challenge themed around the number 100. Challenges could be climbing 100 stairs; doing 100 pushups; reading 100 pages of your favorite book; planting 100 seeds; baking and decorating 100 muffins; cycling or running 100km and so on. The challenge is at people’s own discretion and can be as creative as they would like it to be. Challenges should take place between Friday April 30 and the Bank Holiday Monday on May 3.

Walk & Talk Supporting the Challenge

Rachael Hollwey is the founder of Walk and Talk. She has partnered with the Richmond Foundation, Mental Health Association Malta as well as Birdlife Malta over the last year to help support her tight-knit community. They meet every first Sunday of the month in a new location, go for a scenic walk, and the charity provides coffees and refreshments while completing a task to allow further discussion. They also provide information to all support that is available in Malta. However, due to the latest COVID-19 guidelines ordered back in March, Rachael was unable to organize her monthly walks:

“Ordinarily we come together as a community and walk in nature with the invitation to talk to myself, a survivor from severe mental health illness, and support workers from the mentioned partnerships. The most powerful part is making connections amongst one another and seeing they are not alone in this. The charity then provides”

Despite this, Rachael was still able to keep supporting her community through various platforms. She has organized online workshops, support groups and even a treasure hunt over Easter to encourage mindfulness while at the same time incentivizing people to go for a walk.

This month, Rachael and her community were once again unable to meet. She drew inspiration from the Captain Sir Tom Moore and in his honor decided to also partake in the challenge, inviting people to join her charity event on Sunday 2nd May.

“Sir Captain Tom Moore is a symbol of hope for us all. We are supporting this challenge and we are aiming to reach 100 minutes of walking collectively on Sunday. It is team work, it is an incentive to go for a walk and encourages togetherness, thus removing the lonely feeling many are suffering with.”

Her challenge is simple and all you have to do is go for a walk in a location, time how long you walk for and then send the information to Rachael (or on the Walk and Talk page). Rachael will then tally all the minutes up made throughout the day with the ultimate aim of reaching 100 minutes together.

In order to make this a success, she is also asking people to kindly donate something for this worthy cause, which will make people’s walks even more meaningful:

“I need your help. With new legislations and pressures from the pandemic, charities are struggling but are needed more than ever, especially for mental health. I therefore am reaching out to companies and individuals for the possibility of being able to donate each time we reach 100 minutes of walking."

The donations collected will be distributed between both Walk and Talk and The Richmond Foundation. If you are not in a position to donate at this time, Rachael and her community will appreciate if you could assist in promoting the event and sharing this challenge with friends or colleague who may be interested in donating or participating! It will surely give a boost of positivity within the community.

For more information on the event and how to contact Rachael, visit her listing on Chitzo.