By Monday 26th May 72-year-old Kate Ainslie Williams, originally from Stanton in Gloucestershire, will have completed walking along all the major long canals in England, finishing with the Thames and Severn Canal at Lechlade but starting in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Over the years she has walked over 1,000 miles along the canals raising money for charity. This final walk is for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, to raise vital funds for people living with MND – a cause that is deeply personal.
“This year I am walking in aid of research for Motor Neuron Disease as my good friend, Caterina, now suffers from this debilitating disease, having fallen against a guard rail which gave way, and onto cliffs and rocks eight meters below in Italy two summers ago. Her speech was the first to go and now she is wheelchair-bound. Her eyes are her only working facility to help her communicate via a computer which reads her eye movements. Such is the miracle of modern technology. We are all familiar with this cruel disease through the likes of Doddie Weir and Rob Burroughs, both rugby players, and many of us will know friends and family affected by this disease. So I do hope that people can support this endeavour or tell friends or family who might.”
Kate has not only walked the canals, but also many of the long distance routes in the UK like the South Downs Way and Offa’s Dyke and has covered in total over 2,000 miles raising money for different charities (that’s the equivalent of walking to Rome and back!). In addition she has driven in a convoy twice to Ukraine taking much needed medical equipment, and on her last trip raised over £20,000 for a specialist microscope for eye surgery to be used to help people wounded in the war.
Kate says: “I enjoy walking along the canals as it’s easy navigation, on the whole flat and generally safe for a girl on her own. Many canals are not accessible for either boats or walkers it has to be remembered. I’ve done all this carrying my own stuff and walking in one go, staying in hotels, pubs and b&bs along the way.”
Kate’s target for this particular walk is £10,000, and she has already raised over £7,000 to date – she is looking for all the support she can get along the way!
