Jersey: Walker raises vital funds for global coronavirus response

A supporter on Jersey has raised over £1,300 for CAFOD's coronavirus response by walking 26,000 steps around the island. On Friday 8 May, Michelle Cuthbert, from Jersey, embarked on an epic sponsored walk where she clocked up 26,000 steps to fundraise for the international development charity CAFOD, who have just launched a global coronavirus appeal.

Michelle said: "I recently heard about a mother and daughter who were taking up the '2.6 Challenge' in England, to help make up for all the loss of funds due to the cancellation of the London Marathon. They each walked 26,000 steps.

"In self isolation, I have been feeling very frustrated and unable to be of any use to anyone in the current crisis, so I thought to myself, 'I could do that!' I have a fitbit which counts steps."

The 2.6 Challenge was created after organisers of the biggest mass-participation sports events came together to encourage people to fundraise for charities after the sector lost billions due to event cancellations.

Michelle continued: "When I heard about people in places like Sierra Leone and the extra difficulties they experienced, I thought that the walking challenge would be, perhaps, some way in which I could help.

"In the end, I had a wonderful day. The weather was glorious, and I now feel I want to do it all over again. Amazingly, I felt fine the next day, too. The training paid off!"

Thanks to Michelle's stellar effort, she was able to smash her original fundraising target, raising just over £1,300 for the charity.

Michelle continued: "I can't believe the amount donated. People have been so generous. My original target was £300!"

Michelle's chosen charity, CAFOD, has recently launched an emergency coronavirus appeal and is scaling up its support to local aid experts. These local experts are providing food to vulnerable families, as well as improving handwashing and sanitation facilities across communities.

CAFOD is also helping churches in developing countries to use their networks to share hygiene messages through Catholic radio stations and to produce posters in local dialects on infection prevention.

Donate to Michelle's challenge at https://justgiving.com/fundraising/michelle-cuthbert-jersey and find out more about CAFOD's work at cafod.org.uk/coronavirus