This National thank you day, we are putting our hands together and giving a big, fat round of applause to all our supporters.
We have already had so many success stories this year alone, and so much of that is down to all the support we get from the community. Whether it’s fundraising, volunteering, donating, or just spreading the word, we thank you all for being there for us and for our residents.
Going above and beyond
One event this year really demonstrated how amazing all our supporters are: the 2023 March 4 CENS, sponsored by Lanswood Park, was a huge success with over £8000 raised by everyone who took part. It was a big community effort with 17 teams, all taking one million steps towards ending homelessness. Everyone was incredible and we were overwhelmed by the commitment and enthusiasm from all those involved.
One person went above and beyond, by committing to do the full one million steps on her own – that’s 32,000 steps every day for 31 days! She even says she’ll do it again! We thought we’d share Sadie’s story as a way of saying thanks to all those who did the 2023 march, and to everyone who gets involved and has supported us over the years. As we always say…..we couldn’t do it without you.
Sadie’s story
“I first heard about the challenge through Emily, one of my clients in the salon. The second I heard, I just knew I would take part!!! I’m a big believer in ‘if we all help a little, it helps a lot’, I was already excited to be a part of raising awareness and funds for this amazing homeless charity.”
“I committed there and then BUT I had a decision to make… my heart told me to go it alone, teaming up with only my furry canine friends, AKA the 3 Amigos, but my head told me this was a really tall order. How realistic was it? Fitting in an average 33,000 steps a day…. EVERY day for a month. Well it simply wasn’t, not for me. In between working full time, home life, and hospital appointments for one of my boys… it just seemed too much of a challenge.”
“However, always being someone who likes to find a way, I decided I could do this! Having had some tough times over the last 18 years, the one thing I have learnt about myself is that with the right mindset you can move mountains!!! So I decided I would do exactly that… my mind was made up and I would do whatever it took to clock up those steps.”
My family thought I was crazy
“My typical day would start at 4.40am with a 60/90 min walk or run. It always helped that my furry friends were so much more awake than me and raring to go!!! The weather was not particularly kind with strong winds and so much rain and hail, but we marched on!!! On return I would do the usual house chores followed by a day in the salon. Returning home it would be dinner and tidy followed once again by more steps! I actually felt like I was stepping in my sleep.”
“My family thought I was crazy and that I wouldn’t do it… I knew I would! The hardest part was the final week to ten days where I knew I could not fail. So close, yet still so far away, making up steps wherever I could. This included meeting up with fellow steppers for extra long walks… on two days I clocked up over 50,000 steps each day to make up for lost time.”
A huge sense of achievement
“The final day came and although my son was in hospital, I knew I would still do this, even if it meant walking through the night. I marched the corridors, the canteen and the hospital grounds until finally I hit the finish line. I was absolutely delighted, so happy!!!
“I often thought of the people that CENS has helped and how they would have felt at their lowest..if they could achieve their goals with so much against them, then I had no excuse.”
“Would I do this again? YES!!! I truly hope this fundraising event grows in numbers every year and continues to help those in need. To anyone who is considering supporting a charity, remembering that ‘every little helps’ is everything. Such a huge sense of achievement when boundaries are pushed and wonderful memories are made. All this, alongside raising awareness and helping fund incredible projects, makes every moment worthwhile ❤️.”
Thanks to Sadie for sharing her story, and to everyone who took part this year…and to every one of our supporters. You make all the difference. If you’d like to get more involved with helping us in the work we do, head to the Get Involved page on our website for more opportunities… and look out for the March 4 CENS 2024. Maybe you could go it alone!!
