When we kicked off this year’s Spark Steps Challenge, I don’t think any of us had factored in quite how hot May was going to get. The south had six consecutive days above 30°C and, on 25th May, Kew Gardens recorded 34.8°C, making it the UK’s hottest day in May on record. Naturally, when I visited Kew Gardens for my birthday the previous week, it was a mere 13°C and I was wearing my bobble hat and gloves for the first few hours (photo evidence below!) – classic British spring.
During the month, 29 of us covered more than 4,000 miles. Given there was a whole week when lunchtime walks felt less “fresh air” and more “wildly optimistic”, it was a brilliant effort. The challenge gave the team a good excuse to get away from the desk, with group walks to the new Banksy statue, lunch in Cavendish Square and Russell Square, and a quick trip to The Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL (thanks Dom!).
As ever, the leaderboard got competitive. Ashleigh finished fifth, Ginny came in fourth and Dom claimed the title of Top Bloke in third place. Cathy took second after walking almost 250 miles. Somehow, I managed to finish in first place, covering more than 300 miles, thanks in part to a fantastic walking weekend in the Peak District and a few days of annual leave spent wandering around National Trust houses and my garden.
This year, I have chosen CPRE, the countryside charity, to receive Spark’s £500 donation. I was inspired by the CPRE’s Chelsea Flower Show garden, On the Edge. The garden was created to highlight the importance of protecting the countryside at the edges of our towns and cities – the very places many of our team enjoyed during the challenge this year.
And with that, another Spark Steps Challenge is complete. Plenty of miles covered, a few friendly rivalries settled and, hopefully, some good walking habits here to stay for the rest of the year.