Pub deputy thanks Thame for ‘digging deep’ to support charity trek

THE deputy manager of The Thatch pub in Thame, who walked from the capital to the coast, has praised the generosity of Thame residents and pub guests, who dug deep into their pockets to raise enough money to help not one but two causes close to her heart.

Serena Toh enjoys the feel of the grass on her blistered feet, & a glass of well-earned ‘bubbly’

Serena Toh took part in the London to Brighton walk at the end of May, braving wind, mud and torrential rain to walk through the night and complete the 100 km or 62 mile trek, one of the country’s toughest endurance challenges.

She raised over £3000 in sponsorship from local businesses, pub regulars, colleagues and friends, which will go towards supporting Kenyan primary school children as well as conservancy projects in the Maasai Mara that protect their land and their heritage.

“I decided to do the walk from Richmond-on-Thames to Brighton after returning from Kenya earlier this year, where I met pupils from the Emarti Primary School in the Maasai Mara,” Serena explained. “We were there to work on a conservancy project to protect wildlife and the land, and I was inspired to do more to help when I got back.

“So I walked for 30 hours in mud, clay and sludge, through woodlands and hills and saw enough mud to last a lifetime, but I kept thinking about my goal and the generosity of everyone who sponsored me, and didn’t give up. I finished over a day after I set off, exhausted but elated.

“With all the support I had, I’ll not only be able to buy books and drawing materials for primary school children at Emarti, my original goal; I also raised enough money to complete the construction of the 4km fence my colleagues from Peach started to protect endangered hippos and elephants on the Enonkishu Conservancy on the northern boundary of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. This project is designed to help shore up what’s been termed the ‘Last Line of Defence’ for an area of land under growing threat.

“I’d like to say a very big thank you to everyone whose moral support and generosity made all of this possible, and meant I could do even more to help these great causes,” she added.

Anyone who wants to sponsor Serena can still do so by contributing via www.peachfoundation.co.uk or popping into The Thatch to fill in a sponsorship form at the bar.

The Thatch is at 29-30 Lower High Street, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2AA. Tel: 01844 214340
http://www.thethatchthame.co.uk/