Hampstead Norreys walkers take on 22-mile Riverside Stomp challenge

Walkie Talkies group raising funds for Helen & Douglas House

FIVE friends from Hampstead Norreys will be taking on a new walking challenge to raise funds for a hospice providing care to adults and children.

Natalie Roberts, Carla Dixon, Suzanne Mclaughlin, Fenella Woods and Janet Carruzzo, known locally as the Walkie Talkies team, are training to take on the Riverside Stomp – a 22-mile walk along the Thames path, from Wallingford to Oxford, in aid of Helen & Douglas House.

The Walkie Talkies started as a group of mothers with children at Hampstead Norreys Primary School, but has since expanded to include other women from the village.

The group will be able to enjoy the riverside in the spring, while helping to raise funds to help the Oxford charity continue to offer the range of specialist care and support for young patients with terminal illness and their families across Berkshire.

They have set themselves a fundraising target of £500.

Janet Carruzzo said: “We are really looking forward to taking part in the Riverside Stomp, which is a great event for a great charity.

“We walk every Friday morning to catch up, have a good chat and get some exercise in the beautiful countryside around Hampstead Norreys.

“Signing up for this walk has encouraged us to lengthen our walks from three to five or eight miles, and we now walk more frequently, so we are definitely fitter.

“We want to raise as much money as possible for Helen & Douglas House to help families who are not as fortunate as we are to have healthy children.”

If you would like to support the Walkie Talkies and make a donation, please contact Janet Carruzzo on jcarruzzo@hotmail.com or to find out more about the Riverside Stomp, telephone (01865) 799150, email; events@helenanddouglas.org.uk or visit www.hdh.org.uk

The walk will take place on Saturday, May 21.