Last year, the Walk Tonbridge Festival raised an incredible £27,242.09 for charity, with £10,057.59 heading to Sustain, the community food and fuel bank in Tonbridge, and the remainder going to causes including Prostate Cancer UK, Make Birth Better, FEAST Tonbridge and Tonbridge Athletics Club.
“Thank you to CooperBurnett for supporting the Walk Tonbridge Festival for a fourth year,” says James Pavlou. “We love having the firm onboard but also appreciate the practical contribution of individual team members – volunteering and taking part in the walks. 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!”
As ever, the highlight of the two-week walking-fest will be the Walk Tonbridge Marathon, which this year takes place on Sunday 22 September. This event is once again being expertly organised by James, along with CooperBurnett Senior Associate, Katie Hilsdon. Last year 125 participants – including teams from firms including Crowe UK, Evelyn Partners and Sargeant Partnership LLP - tackled the 26.2 mile walk around Tonbridge and its surrounding villages.
“We’ve had 142 people sign up already for the Walk Tonbridge Marathon but we’d like to see even more,” says James. “It’s certainly a challenge but we know those who’ve taken part before have had a really amazing day and made lasting memories, as well as raising money for charity.”
The Walk Tonbridge Festival will also include a variety of guided walks and fringe events. New walks for 2024 include ‘Lost Leisure’, a walk around the town’s forgotten leisure and night spots; ‘The Making of Modern Tonbridge’, led by Tom Freke of Tonbridge Civic Society; and ‘Secrets of The Parish Church’, a short accessible history walk with Pam Mills.
Returning favourites include ‘In Austen Family Footsteps’, a guided walk round Jane Austen’s family connections to Tonbridge; ‘Lost Pubs of South Tonbridge’; and ‘Where Wheels Once Turned’, a historic walk taking in the town’s mills and industrial past.
A special photography exhibition ‘Tonbridge Memories’ is planned at Tonbridge School, while the pop-up Orchard Tea Room is returning to Hildenborough.
The Sunrise Social (on Saturday 21 September) is co-organised by James and Senior Associate Paralegal, Carla Loveday. Walkers are set to enjoy a walk through fields and woodland as the countryside wakes up, before sitting down together for a hearty full-English at The Chaser Inn in Shipbourne.
“The Sunrise Social was an absolute joy last year,” says CooperBurnett Partner, Joseph Oates. “Seeing the sun rise spectacularly over the Kent countryside was a memory I won’t ever forget. We are very proud to be supporting the Festival again this year. James is a true force of nature; he has worked tirelessly to make the Festival an incredible success and raised so much money for Sustain in the process.”
Joseph adds: “We are also proud of the contribution TeamCB has made to the Festival – particularly those stepping up to take part in the Walk Tonbridge Marathon. Sarah Strong is already training for her fourth consecutive one!”
Find out more about the Festival and sign up for the Walk Tonbridge Marathon: https://www.walktonbridge.co.uk/walktonbridgefestival
