50th Event 6 – Easter Walk

The sixth (and half-way event) in our year of celebration took place on the third weekend of April. Like many events centred around the Easter weekend, the promise of chocolate lured staff and their families back to the office on Easter Saturday.

Walkers arrived at SDC’s Head Office on Caxton Road in Bedford under idyllic clear blue skies and collected their route maps, with excitable toddlers ready to complete the questions and puzzles whilst walking round the 3-mile course.

The more serious walkers, tying up their walking boots and preparing to stroll 6, or 9 miles around the Bedfordshire countryside, instead collected water and snacks for the way round.

The 3-mile route saw families pass through some woodland on a dirt trail, whilst the 6- and 9-mile walkers ventured alongside a river and across open fields.

Meanwhile, the Events Village was set up in the car park of our office. There were food vans, a selection of fairground games, and the F1 simulator. Those that won games collected tokens, and those with enough tokens, collected Easter Eggs!

Upon completing the walks, participants were handed medals and directed back to the Events Village to hand in their booklets and pick up their prizes for answering the questions correctly. This event also saw the first SDC 50 Gold Medals handed out for participation in 3 different events! (Don’t worry, there’s still time to get your hands on one if you come along to the Cycle Ride!)

Once the walkers bounded back into the Events Village, Francis Shiner (Chairman of SDC and organiser of this event) having just completed the 3-mile route with his grandchildren, took to the stage to thank the participants, volunteers, and sponsors – O’Briens Contractors and DL Mechanical. Francis then began the charity presentations, with Riding for the Disabled and the SMART Prebend Centre each receiving a cheque for £5,000.

As the events village closed for another month the crowd dispersed, taking home their Easter Eggs – with some melting on the way, and some not making it back because apparently, walking makes you hungry…

Photos from the event can be found HERE.

We still have more events to come throughout the summer months. Cycle either 25 or 50 miles around Granta Park on the 15 May, SDC’s Family Fun Day will burst onto Bromham Scouts Field on the 11 June, and a Watersports Day will take place at Bedford’s Box End Park in July! Sign up for these events on our website, www.sdc50.co.uk, and keep an eye on our social media channels for more information!