70 miles for Freedom from Torture

Antonia organised a 70 mile group walk to fundraise for Freedom from Torture. Her efforts are inspiring! Here is her story:

Blog by Antonia

To mark the milestone of reaching 70 years I thought it would be a suitable challenge to walk 70 miles down the Severn way to raise money and awareness for Freedom from Torture on my way.

I invited friends from different eras of my life and various parts of the world to walk with me and was astonished, humbled and delighted by the response. Canada, Holland, Scotland and Wales were all represented, including a group of us who had worked in Rwanda.

Three of us walked the entire 70 miles and others joined from a half a day to a few days, depending on their energy and availability. We started in Shrewsbury and finishes in Tewksbury with nights in Ironbridge, Bridgnorth, Stourport on Severn and Worcester. We were accompanied the whole way by my black Labrador Bwana, who was particularly attentive whenever we stopped for a snack!

The weather was, on the whole, warm and sunny and it was a hugely enjoyable experience to walk by the river listening to the birds and enjoying the bluebells and wild garlic in the woods and the varied greens of the trees as they came into leaf.

The walk was a celebration of our glorious English countryside and of friendship. I felt very fortunate to have lived without fear or oppression, free to express my own opinion and to make my own choices. We were all proud and happy to be supporting those people who have not had these privileges and who are helped by Freedom from Torture.