We Celebrate our 30th (Pearl) wedding anniversary on the 24th September and while we could do the river cruise/luxury hotel break/week on the beach or Dave could buy me pearls - which I wouldn’t appreciate - we were looking for a bit more of an adventure and a challenge.

15 years ago we took on a derelict old Co-Op shop in Eccles and have spent many years restoring the building into a Community Centre which we named The Castle Community Centre. A Castle is a symbol of a safe place and that is what the building has become. It is a safe place for many groups & activities and is a base for Salford Babybank & the Castle Kitchen. Its focus is on families, children & young people and building a lasting sense of community within the streets & green spaces where it is placed.

It is home to The Castle and Ivy Park Community Association and Patricroft Community CIC. Both organisations are totally staffed by volunteers, who put in thousands of hours a year running groups & clubs; everything from Bee Yourself, for our SEND children & parents, to Kids club, Family club, Homework club and Holiday clubs, plus three community events on our local park (Ivy Park) every year. At present we have funding from the GMEF (Greater Manchester Environmental Fund) and our gardening groups are building a sensory garden within the park, working with primary & secondary school children, the police and our groups to create a beautiful peaceful area, to be enjoyed by everyone who lives near the park. Our passion is to raise aspirations, to bring hope and to plan for a future that has endless possibilities. See our website www.thecastle-eccles.org.uk

The Castle is a building that has reached capacity and we have exciting plans to develop the cellar space into another floor, as a chill out space & sensory room, as well as opening up onto a new garden space. We are also beginning to think about employing a manager, as running the centre and working on all the community projects is now too bigger job for volunteers (a great problem to have).

As we look at our exciting plans we know they will take a while to become reality and in the meantime the building is looking well used and in need of re-decorating and flooring due to its continuous use.

So to combine our sense of adventure and challenge we decide to undertake a 100 mile walk, and ask our friends & family to sponsor us, so we can raise enough money to decorate and lay new flooring so that all that use the Centre know they are valued and have a great clean and bright place to hold their groups and activities.

Coast to Coast

Starting at Bowness on Solway then walking the full length of Hadrian’s Wall to Wallsend Newcastle upon Tyne and onto the coast at South Shields via The Arberia Roman Fort a total of 145 Km (90 miles).

Add on our detours to overnight stays and we will walk over 100 miles, come rain, wind or shine, starting on September 10th.

As we walk a wall that was also built to protect, we will pass forts and castles that would close the drawbridge to ensure its people were safe, we will be reminded that our castle is also a place of safety.

If you feel you could sponsor us please follow this link to our Just Giving page.

Please contact us if you would like to donate in cash or by cheque.

Dave and Judy