Hiking for Funds!

On Friday July 17th 2026 Lesley at the time a scout from 1st Bethersden undertook an approx. 22mile hike from her home in great chart to Canterbury West train station to help raise funds for 1st Bethersden scout and guide HQ as it currently is undergoing essential work to be safe and useable for the guiding and scouting movement as soon as possible, due to the building structure becoming unsafe it has not been used for a few months and the school hall is currently being used however it does make more limits for them all as groups to do set activities as they cannot use the fire pit ect at hall with the building unsafe. 

Lesley planned the route and looked for suggested routes and pit stops online to work out how she wanted to get there and what was the safer route with less loads to use, Lesley is on the pathway to a ASD assessment and shows signs of ADHD as well as anxiety and mental health struggles and has asthma, however she worked hard to build her kit list up, packed it and rechecked it on the day, made a plan in case of injury or emergency on the hike and made her own sponsorship form too plus helped her mum with the go fund me page, Lesley's mum a leader from 6th Ashford cub pack escorted her on the hike as support if Lesley became overwhelmed or had any accidents or moments of panic. Lesley held herself brilliantly on the hike and kept to safe areas, crossed and walked on roads correctly and also made sure she stopped for snacks, put on suncream, water stops and refills, rest stops, lunch and to check on her mum and slow down when needed due to her mum's foot injury with at times very little shade but a lot of heat. 

There were some amazing views and some lovely people on the hike as well as a few animals to brighten her day. Thshe left her home at 6.45 am after turning out ponies at 5.30am and arrived in Canterbury West station at approx. 6.30pm covering about 22miles of hike trails, a lot of hills some harder than others, uneven road, woodlands, downhill slopes, orchards, roads and fields which she took on step by step even when she got tired and a little overwhelmed, she held her head high and powered though to ensure she finished her hike to help her scout unit and not let anyone down. She started at great chart went to town and round back on Kennington Rugy club to Conningbrook lakes, out of Conniningbrook lakes though the back on the Stour valley walk into wye village, from wye village she used the north downs valley walk to get to chilham and then from Chilham to Canterbury, she saw donkeys, pigs, rabbits, dragon flies, butterflies, squirrels and livestock on route as well as used a part of the Pilgrims walk where she saw Canterbury Cathedral form 7and a half miles away. 

She also found, walked though or saw:
• Howfield woods• Chilham church• old wives lees• Chilham village square• The downs• Mountain street• The tickled trout• Wye green• Wye church• Boughton Aluph church• Coppice oratory• Kings wood trail• Perry count farm

Alongside her fundraising for Bethersden she also helped to raise start-up funds for 6th Ashfrod scout unit so she had her paper sponsorship form for 6th Ashford scouts which she is moving to in September due to logistics and outside reasons to help get some start-up funds for uniform for the scouts to help with costs and then had the go fund me for 1st Bethersden the total she has raised so far for 6th Ashford scouts is £107 and for 1 st Bethersden it currently stands at £390! In total, £497 raised. Lelsey has showed strength, determination, skill, stamina and kindness throughout this fundraising showing how incredible, kind, hardworking and resilience our young people can be and just how amazing they are even when there has been things in the way she found a way round and kept pushing proving what she is capable of and how much scouting means to her and what she has helped her gain not just in skill set but confidence too.