Restoring and beautifying London's most prestigious homes with love for almost 100 years.




Monday 21 September 2015

Feet of fire...




In 2012 we took on the Night Hike...

In 2015 it was all about Maggie's Culture Crawl- 15 miles through London at night to raise money for Maggie's Cancer Care Centres. 

Our team of twelve began at Paternoster Square, in the shadow of the beautiful St Paul's Cathedral- an iconic symbol of our city and a fitting place to start our challenge.

Ready for the off, we got ourselves (non-permanent!) tattoos and our gloriously orange Maggie's T shirts, which were our key to the adventures awaiting us...

Heading to Maggie's Centre at Charing Cross Hospital in West London, we were able to take rest stops at The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (where we had to snap a selfie), the tranquil Chelsea Physic Garden, Foster & Partners architectural studio and then Brompton Cemetery after dark. 






The volunteers and staff from Maggie's and the sponsors such as Foster & Partners made sure we were all well looked after and cheered on as we passed key points on our journey. 

It was not easy, the blisters were hard earned, and we definitely worked for every penny you kind souls donated.

But we enjoyed it, knowing every step was making a difference for us and for Maggie's.




We all had our own reasons for walking, and it was encouraging and emotional to see the names of those we were keeping in our thoughts on our shirts. 







As we progressed we were able to capture a few images that summed up the night, our experience and our gorgeous city. 










The view was pretty amazing at times... the city's changing skyline made a dramatic backdrop.



 There were moments of beauty and tranquility as well as reminders of the rich architectural diversity and history of London.

Even the oddities... ever spotted this on Albert Bridge? We made sure to break step!

The walk to Maggie's led to a well deserved rest and revitalising cup of tea, before we set out to return via the V&A museum (and the greatest first aid station I've ever seen) where we rested under the stunning Dale Chihuly glass chandelier that graces the main entrance.

Then it was onwards to the Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park, and then to the Royal Academy where we were privileged to see the new sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei before it was opened to the public at the weekend. 


After this it was on to the finish line at Covent Garden marketplace- waiting for us was a sense of accomplishment, a medal, plus celebratory prosecco and a bacon sandwich!













Cheers Culture Crawlers!





We have to say a big THANK YOU to our
 sponsors and supporters, to the staff and volunteers from Maggie's and to our amazing Uber taxi driver Bahar, who heard us talking through our experience as he drove us safely home and pledged to donate to our efforts! 

Our JustGiving page will be open until 10th October- if you haven't pledged yet, we'd very much appreciate your support.

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