Walk the South Coast to support people with a learning disability

Saturday 12 May 2018

Jersey Mencap is inviting islanders to join in their South Coast Challenge and walk 15 miles from la Rocque to La Corbiére on 20 May to help raise funds for their projects which support children and adults with a learning disability.

This is the 12th year that the charity is holding its South Coast Challenge and the team is hoping it will be as successful as last year's edition, which saw 600 people take part and raise £20,000.

The money raised helped fund Jersey Mencap's five projects, which include a Social Club, Self Advocacy, Taking Part Making Art, the Pond and a Book Club. Alex Wiles, Jersey Mencap's Manager, explained: "We are a small charity with a big agenda! We have costs to meet and we try to keep things affordable so that people can access ours services. 

"We have 80 members who are currently accessing our projects. They come from different backgrounds, some come from group homes, others live independently or with their parents. We run meaningful daytime projects and have six sessions a week. It gives people a structure to the week and also encourages social engagement."

The South Coast Challenge is Jersey Mencap's main fundraiser and also one of the few events they organise every year. "We rely on it to keep running our projects," says Alex. "Yearly, we need about £200,000 so the walk is essential to what we do. It is our main fundraiser.

"When we first started it, we had about 700 people taking part, but now there are so many charity events, it's a bit of a flooded market. There is lots of competition. We But we are very proud of our walk! It's all about raising awareness of Jersey Mencap and of the work we do to support people with learning disabilities."

Pictured: The South Coast Challenge is Jersey Mencap's main fundraiser.

To ensure a smooth running to the day, Jersey Mencap can count on a team of devoted volunteers, who will be running checkpoints along the start. "We are a very small team," explains Alex. "We rely on volunteers to help on the day. Safety is paramount and we are glad to have 30 volunteers helping on the day. Whether it's raining or sunny, they will be running the checkpoints. Our marshals give up their Sunday to help out and they do a great work. Some of them even come back year after year and make friendships."

On 20 May, the 15 mile walk will depart from La Rocque at 08:30, with staggered starts until 09:30. Alex says the departure time is very strict and is urging participants not to arrive earlier than 08:30 as specific authorisations have been requested for the walk. Participants will be joined by Jersey Mencap's members from Bel Royal to St. Aubin. Alex explained: "Our members get to be a part of the challenge too. They do a shorter walk as some of them struggle walking on long distances."

Online registration for the South Coast Challenge closes on 13 May but participants can still sign up on the day.