Bluestone team lace up their walking boots to take on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path for charity
Ten employees from Bluestone National Park Resort are walking the entire Pembrokeshire Coast Path for charity.
With 186 miles to conquer in 12 days, the hardy team will be lacing up their boots to raise money for the Bluestone Foundation.
The fund-raisers will start in St Dogmaels on September the 26th and aim to finish in Amroth at lunchtime on October the 6th.
The Bluestone Foundation was established in 2010 to help people to help themselves by supporting environmental, economic, and social projects in Pembrokeshire. It is entirely funded by donations from resort guests and fund-raising.
Pamela McNamara, Bluestone Foundation founder, and the resort’s Commercial Director, is one of the teams taking on the challenge, “I’m very proud of the work that the Bluestone Foundation has done across the county of Pembrokeshire in the last eight years,” said Pamela.
"We have seen the difference that the grants have made to organisations and we are determined to raise the bar with our fund-raising every year so that we reach out to even more local groups.
It’s a really exciting challenge, the training days have been tough but you are rewarded at every corner by the most beautiful views, I think that will help us along as well as the belief in the Foundation and the work that it does.”
The fundraiser was the idea of Bluestone CEO William McNamara and it’s not the first time he’s challenged the staff at the resort. In 2017 a team of 12 cycled 500km from Vietnam to Cambodia raising over £20,000 in the process for the Bluestone Foundation.
The money which the team raises will be added to the Bluestone Foundation Community Fund which in the past year has supported 11 projects across Pembrokeshire, including Tenby Surflink.
Emmet Johnson, Tenby Surflink Volunteer, said: “The grant we received has helped us to buy six new rescue boards for the club.
“This means more children are able to get on the water on our training nights at Tenby South Beach. These boards are similar to those used by the RNLI, so it’s perfect for preparing the older children whose next step is to become a beach lifeguard and help keep our stunning beaches safe for everyone to enjoy.”
One of the fundraisers Housekeeping assistant Elsa Taday who has worked at Bluestone for 2 years said “I was really inspired by the achievements of the team cycle last year, so I put my name forward for this year’s challenge.
When it was announced we would be walking the coast path I was delighted, it’s something that I have always wanted to do and I’ll have that added determination knowing that I am doing it for such a good cause.
I’ve been training a couple of times a week on the coast path and around Pembrokeshire; every walk reminds me of what a beautiful county is it!”
The team is hoping to equal the amount raised by the cycling group last year and has been raising funds through various events, including quiz nights, leg waxes, and auctions.
During the challenge, the team will be writing daily diaries to document their journey and taking lots of photos too. To keep up to date on the team’s coast-to-coast challenge simply like the Bluestone Foundation page on Facebook.
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Any enquiries please contact Kathryn Slade via pr@bluestonewales.com.