We will be walking 50 km / 31 miles on Sunday 10th July 2022 to raise money for the Encephalitis Society in loving memory of Philip and Kirsty.  We are Paul R (top mate), Adam (Kirsty's brother) and Simon (Kirsty's father).  And friends will be joining us for parts of the walk including David J (Philip's brother), Sarah W and Keith D.

Any donations will be matched, up to £25,000, by a generous benefactor who will make a donation directly to the society (thereby avoiding the fees).  UPDATE 8 July: our marvellous benefactor has just told us that he will donate the full £25,000.  So happy :-D.

David J: "This is my brother Philip who passed away from Measles Encephalitis in December 1976 at the tender age of 17.  It is one of the few pictures we have of him.  Like many families at the time we didn’t take a huge amount of pictures.  We thought we had time.  Time to grow together.  Time to build our families together and time to share precious moments.  But sadly time ran out.  And what is left are old photographs and our memories.  There is not a day goes by when I don’t think of Philip, and there isn’t a Christmas, birthday or family event when his grave isn’t cleaned and new flowers laid by our Mum.  Being told his is the best tended grave in the graveyard is no consolation.  So I am supporting this walk to help other families have the time to collect more memories and more photographs.  So support us on the Kirsty and Philip walk and let’s help all families touched by Encephalitis."

Kirsty Flood was 13 when she died of Encephalitis on 5th February 2021.  The disease first struck on 1st July 2019 and there were dark days before Encephalitis was diagnosed and the hospital treatment turned things around.  She seemed to mostly recover but it returned with a vengeance in summer 2020 causing more severe brain damage which made it hard for her to learn at school.  School lockdown hit her particularly hard as she was very gregarious and she missed being with her lovely friends.  Winter 2020 came and the disease was seemingly returning, so her medication had to be increased.  She was found lifeless in bed on Friday 5th February 2021.  The ambulance arrived within 2 or 3 minutes to be followed by 2 or 3 more ambulances, a doctor and police but despite a massive, and much appreciated, effort for some 90 minutes they couldn’t revive her.  It was an autoimmune version of Encephalitis in which her body was attacking her brain for reasons unknown.  We light a candle in her memory each Friday.

Please support this society’s work to help sufferers and fund research into this disease which took them and many others much too early.

Note that the event fees have already been paid so the money donated goes to the society.