01/09/2008

A new charity challenge walk, which is accessible to all, will take place in the North East, it is announced today.

Bookings are now being taken for the Northumbrian Water-organised ‘Walk for Life’ along 7.6 miles of shoreline of Kielder Water, Northumberland, on Sunday 12 October.

The walk, providing stunning unspoilt views of northern europe’s largest man-made lake, will raise money for the international charity WaterAid and anyone taking part can also choose to raise sponsorship money for their own nominated charity if they wish.

‘Walk for Life’ is suitable for all ages and for pushchairs and wheelchairs too, and follows a section of the new multi-user Lakeside Way trail.

It will start at the Dam at 10am and finish at Leaplish Waterside Park and can be expected to take between two hours for faster elite walkers to complete, and up to six hours for a leisurely family stroll with pushchairs.

Goodie bags for participants include, amongst other things, a ‘Walk for Life’ t-shirt and a medal for taking part.

The entry fee is £15 for adults and £7.50 for children under 16-years-old. Children under two are free. Ten pounds from every adult entry and £2.50 from each child entry will go to WaterAid.

Alistair Baker, for WaterAid and Northumbrian Water, said: “It costs just £15 for WaterAid to provide a clean water supply, safe toilets and hygiene education for people in the developing world where sadly a child dies every 17 seconds from disease caused by dirty water.

“The attraction of the ‘Walk for Life’ is that, not only will it save lives in Africa and Asia, it can also raise money for other charities at home and abroad chosen by walkers.”

The Lakeside Way trail, which is under construction, is a new attraction for Kielder Water & Forest Park. It will eventually stretch all the way round the 27 miles of shoreline and currently about half is complete from the Dam to Kielder Castle.

For further information and an entry pack on the ‘Walk for Life’ telephone 0870-240-3549 (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm) or on line www.nwl.co.uk/walkforlife or by email to walkforlife@nwl.co.uk.

For further information contact: Alistair Baker on 0191-301-6851.