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Keep Plodding: A 16 day Charity Walk success

Keep Plodding: A 16 day Charity Walk success

11 June 2021

  • Cornwall ACF

Newquay Detachment Commander at Cornwall Army Cadets, Angela Mckendrick, recently completed the 268 mile of the Pennine Way along with 6 veterans to raise money and awareness of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although Angela isn’t herself a veteran, she took part in this challenge to support her friends and family who have needed support from organisations such as these in the past.

A few years ago Angela struggled to walk up a hill without getting out of breath, now a little under two years later, she has been walking more than 30k in a single day and inspiring other woman in her local area to put on their walking boots and heading off into the wild.

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Start of the Peninne Way

Angela said, "The training for this started last year, actually it started way before I even told anyone about it. The first time I walked a hill I was huffing and puffing my way up and by the top I was sweating and gasping for breath and thought, what have I got myself into. The hills on the Pennines make Cornish ones look like mole hills. I huffed and puffed my way up a few of those too, but this time I had a team. One of the lads walking up behind me saying, dig deep Angela you got this.”

Waking up every morning to messages from my daughters, friends and my amazing friends in the Army Cadets. Every morning and evening I would turn my phone on and would have loads of encouraging messages. That was amazing and kept me going!

The Pennine way is the oldest and toughest national trails in Britain. The group completed it in 16 days, walking a total of 268 miles. The team was made up of Angela and a group of Veterans including Darren Williamson, Steve Pryce, Chris Broome, Ricky Bushel, Bill Haley and Mark Hufflet, many of them suffering from metal health themselves. The trek lead the team through very bad weather and strong winds, across very wet bogs and up tricky scree and steep tracks.

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Angela walking on the Pennine Way

Angela continued: “The first few days were the start of hell week. Then the real challenges began the following days when we were just plodding along, whether they were mental, physically or emotional (and there were a lot of emotions). Scrabbling over the boulders and then climbing up the side of the waterfall - that was crazy. I was fighting back the panic, I faced it and then I did it, that’s when I knew I could complete the whole 16 days!”

Unfortunately due to injured feet and personal circumstances, two of the team had to pull out after a few days, but the rest completed the walk.

Angela also had injuries on the final stretch: “When my ankle became swollen I couldn’t fit my boot on, and one of the lads just turned and said, we will find a way, you aren’t coming this far for this to happen. That’s when the boot was chopped which helped me carry on walking.”

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The team taking a break early in the walk

About the finish, Angela said, “I never thought I would finish it. When I crossed the line, I didn’t know rather to laugh or cry. I got myself to the finish line but I had help getting there. Accepting help was half the battle.”

“It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do and I keep thinking why I had signed up for it in the first place. After years of being told I’m not good enough, fit enough or skinny enough, I proved that I could. Sometimes it just takes the right mind-set and the right people to pave the way.

Team work is a funny thing, actually being part of a team that wanted everyone to reach the end. We all struggled in different ways but we were all there for each other as well. We all had a part to play in this.”

Team work is a funny thing, actually being part of a team that wanted everyone to reach the end. We all struggled in different ways but we were all there for each other as well. We all had a part to play inthis.

The team had an amazing amount of support along the way with friends and even strangers meeting them and giving them much needed pants and socks together with pies and fish and chips. They were given warm places to stay for free and even got on the local ITV news. Support from home was also well received: “Waking up every morning to messages from my daughters, friends and my amazing friends in the Army Cadets. Every morning and evening I would turn my phone on and would have loads of encouraging messages. That was amazing and kept me going!”

The team raised over £16,000 during the walk and more money has come in since. They are now taking on the ‘Keep Plodding’ slogan they used during the walk to engage people with PTSD awareness.

While being an Army Cadet instructor, Angela’s confidence has increased and she has learnt to push herself more than she could have ever dreamed of before. If you would like to know more about these inspiring activities and about joining the Army Cadets as a cadet or adult instructor, please go to amycadets.com