Epic trek in aid of people fleeing the terrors of the war in Ukraine

Chichester solicitor Edward Cooke, of Edward Cooke Family Law, has completed an impressive trek, walking 124 miles from Farnham to Canterbury, to raise much-needed funds for OPORA, a UK-based charity which supports people fleeing the terrors and trauma of the war in Ukraine.

“Taking on board the stretches to and from accommodation, I calculate that I walked well over 130 miles, possibly 140. Either way, I managed to complete the walk on Saturday and arrived at Canterbury Cathedral where I was very pleased to attend a lovely evensong and receive a pilgrim’s blessing at the ancient shrine of Thomas Becket – quite an experience for me, as a history aficionado.”

Edward, whose firm are principal sponsors of this year’s Festival of Chichester, said: “I am absolutely delighted to report that thus far the walk has raised £5,655, every penny of which will go to Opora. Adding in gift aid, the sum raised thus far is approaching £7,000. I am blown away everyone’s generosity, so thank you so much for your support and donations.”

But it’s a sum Edward is hoping to add to, with donations still gratefully accepted for the next few weeks: “My JustGiving page is here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/edward-cooke-2

“I know that Opora, which does such valuable work supporting Ukrainian families by providing psychological support in the Ukrainian language, will be enormously grateful so if anyone else would still like to donate, now that I have completed the walk, that would be fantastic!

“I was doing about 18 miles a day. One or two days maybe it was a bit more, other days maybe it was a bit less. I was walking about seven or eight hours a day. It was strenuous but it is just so good for the soul. And I did the walk with a number of different people. On the first day I was with colleagues from the office and it was a beautiful Saturday. And then I had two days with a great friend of mine. And then a couple of days I was on my own, and that was very special. I've got a very busy job so it's really nice to have that headspace and then at the end I was with my wife. The company was very special but having that time to reflect on life was just great as well.”

Edward felt elated and relieved to finish: “But I think the real achievement for me was raising the money. The walking is good for the soul and it's great to be able to reflect but most important of all, it was about raising money for a fantastic charity. It's a very small charity but they do such important work on psychological well-being and trauma support.”

Over eight days, Edward passed through Shere, Reigate, Oxted, Wrotham, Medway, Maidstone and Ashford on his way to the finish line at the doors of Canterbury Cathedral.

“OPORA are a small but transformational charity dedicated to supporting Ukrainian families in settling and sustainably rebuilding their lives in the UK, with a particular focus on mental health. The sum I raised for them previously in 2023 made a huge impact, but with the war continuing and future still uncertain, support is needed more than ever.

“Thank you for your support in helping me to raise as much as possible to continue to support OPORA’s mental health programme.”