Since its launch – has raised nearly £37,000 for charities including Make Birth Better, Stocks Green Pre-School, Hospice in the Weald and the National Autistic Society, with close to £15,000 being donated to the Tonbridge food and fuel bank, Sustain.
The Festival - a ‘celebration of walking, Tonbridge, community and countryside’ – was organised, as ever, by James Pavlou, founder of Walk Tonbridge and winner of the Judges’ Choice accolade at the Tonbridge Business Awards 2024.
Sustain currently works with around 75 families each week and will be using the funds raised to help keep its food bank stocked with supplies for food parcels. £15,000 equates to approximately ten weeks of food shopping for Sustain; 750 food parcels, meaning that more than 2000 local people receive food support.
“I cannot tell you how much this means to us at Sustain, not only the money but the enthusiasm and support from our lovely community,” says Emma Lander, Community Lead at Sustain. “They use the word ‘encouragement’ here a lot and I can honestly say I have never felt so encouraged since taking on this role. Everyone involved with the Walk Tonbridge Festival are legends. Thank you!”
The highlight of the Walk Tonbridge Festival - which included a variety of guided walks and fringe events - was the Walk Tonbridge Marathon on Sunday 22 September. Organised by James Pavlou and Katie Hilsdon from CooperBurnett, the event saw an incredible 225 participants register to tackle a 26.2 mile walk around Tonbridge and its surrounding villages.
“Honestly, I am in awe of the amount of work and passion that went into making the Walk Tonbridge Marathon such an enormous success,” says Emma Lander, who took part herself with colleagues from Sustain. “As a walker, the day was just awesome. The route was so well thought out and the volunteers at the checkpoints were just amazing, making the whole experience so very special and enjoyable.”
“I was delighted to have CooperBurnett supporting the Walk Tonbridge Festival for a fourth year running,” says James Pavlou. “It’s not all about the money though, what I also appreciate is how TeamCB steps up to help out in a very practical way by volunteering. I couldn’t run the Festival without our supporters and they also include Tonbridge Old Fire Station (TOFS), Hilden Park Chartered Accountants, Tonbridge School, Absolute Creative Print, Fit Feet Podiatry and Mr Ames Tea, as well as an army of friends, family and volunteers!”
Katie Hilsdon, Senior Associate at CooperBurnett, has co-organised the Walk Tonbridge Marathon since the first event, when there were just 17 walkers.
“It was an absolute honour to be part of TeamCB supporting James and the Walk Tonbridge Festival again and wonderful to see so much raised for Sustain,” says Katie. “Thanks to the amazing volunteers who gave up their time on the day to make the Marathon such a success.”
The Festival also included a variety of guided walks and among the new events this year were ‘Lost Leisure’, a walk around the town’s forgotten leisure and night spots; ‘The Making of Modern Tonbridge’; and ‘Secrets of The Parish Church’. The Festival concluded with a special photography exhibition, ‘Tonbridge Memories’, at Tonbridge School.
“Walk Tonbridge Festival is a highlight of our year at CooperBurnett and an absolute joy to support,” says Joseph Oates, Partner at CooperBurnett, who himself took part in the Walk Tonbridge Marathon. “We are endlessly impressed by the dedication and commitment of James and his wife Paula in making the Festival such a success!”
Joseph continues: “A really big shout-out to everyone on our team who has organised the marathon and volunteered over the two weeks and to those who tackled the Walk Tonbridge Marathon. They are all fantastic! Roll on 2025!”
