Sick Kids Take Fundraising in Their Stride at Grand Walk 

Our first-ever Grand Walk saw families from across the South West go the extra mile for Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)… and reach a fundraising total that blew us all away. 

On Sunday 15 September, nearly 300 of our supporters gathered in the sunny grounds of Ashton Court Estate and stepped up to the challenge of our brand-new fundraising event. 

Every person taking part had their own unique connection to Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s NICU. But what made the day truly magical was that so many patients, past and present, could take part in the family-friendly event and give something special back to the hospital that cared for them. 

We had children in wheelchairs, little ones in prams, kids relearning to walk after illness, toddlers learning to walk for the first time and even a three-week-old baby along for the stroll. The 1.5km and 5km walks were big challenges for little legs, but our young fundraising heroes stepped up to the occasion!

Live on BBC Breakfast

Families were welcomed to the bustling event village at 9 am, where they could grab a coffee and a pastry from Common Lemon, get their faces painted by the dazzlingly talented Jo Jo or play in our interactive activities tent. 

Every child taking part received a free ‘Wildlife Wanderers’ booklet to fill out throughout the day, encouraging them to engage with the nature around them.  

We kicked off the morning live on BBC Breakfast, with Ed, the dad of superstar fundraiser, Harry, giving an emotional interview about the incredible challenge his ‘miracle boy’ was taking on. 

After being shot in the head with an air rifle as a baby, Harry made a remarkable recovery under the care of neurosurgeons at Bristol Children’s Hospital. Now an energetic nine-year-old, Harry and his dad signed up for Grand Walk as a way of thanking the staff for their invaluable role in Harry’s recovery. 

Once the interview was complete, Becky from @TheGym in Nailsea led our Grand Walkers in a warm-up for all ages. Becky made sure everyone was wide awake, excited and had properly stretched before they made their way to the starting line. 

The main event

Once the air horn blew to mark the start of Grand Walk, our wonderful volunteers led the walkers on two routes through the grass, woodland and gentle slopes of Ashton Court Estate. 

Not only did we have long-term volunteers and fundraisers for the charity supporting our walkers, but staff from Grand Walk’s sponsor, Albert Goodman, showed up in full force to lend a hand.  

The 1.5km and 5km walks included plenty of surprises to keep kids’ energy levels up. A trail of pawprints was scattered along the routes to help little ones maintain their focus and interest. Bristolian samba band, Ilu Axé, were hidden around the first big bend, drumming their hearts out to encourage everyone to keep moving. Finally, some very special sculptures from our Gromit Unleashed trails made the trip to Ashton Court Estate, giving participants the perfect photo opportunity to commemorate the day.  

Crossing the finish line

Our favourite part of the day was seeing the joy on the faces of our Grand Walkers as they crossed the finish line. 

We know it meant so much to our fundraising families to complete the challenge and know they’d done something meaningful for Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s NICU. It was truly emotional to see hundreds of people receive their medals and celebrate their accomplishment. 

One story from the day which stood out was that of Emily. Grand Walk was a very big day for Emily, who has been treated at Bristol Children’s Hospital for years. 

“We’ve done the walk today because of all the excellent support The Grand Appeal gave us while our daughter, Emily, was in hospital,” Emily’s mum, Kelly, said. “She’s had two brain tumour operations in the past few years, and the support The Grand Appeal gave us was absolutely amazing.” 

She continued: “I’m proud of her because she’s only just learning how to walk again after her surgeries, so the walk was a really big effort for her.” 

The afterparty

Back in the events village, many of our proud Grand Walkers treated themselves to delicious oven-baked pizza from Jim’s Pizza. The gentle, acoustic guitar music from Tom Martin, who you may have seen performing in Bristol Children’s Hospital reception, created the perfect calming atmosphere for everyone to wind down after the morning’s exercise.

Thank you also to PPL PRS for providing us with a free music license, which filled the events village with joy and allowed Tom to play a set that was perfect for all ages.

Kids eagerly returned to the Lego, colouring sheets, bubble machine and outdoor games available in the activities tent. There was also the unmissable opportunity to have a photo taken with the life-size replica of Wallace & Gromit’s famous motorbike and sidecar, which is being expertly looked after by the lovely team from the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum. Thank you to the museum staff for kindly volunteering their time to bring it to the event. 

We finished Grand Walk with a magic show and balloon modelling from the spectacular Lucy Lost It. Lucy put on an extraordinary show for all the family and wowed the whole crowd with her juggling skills, providing our walkers a thoroughly enjoyable end to a perfect day.  

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in the very first Grand Walk. You raised more than £35,000 for Bristol Children’s Hospital and St Michael’s NICU. Thank you also to Albert Goodman, whose event sponsorship made the day possible.  

See you all again in 2025 for the next Grand Walk! 

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