Parish priest walks Bridgathon for leukaemia charity

Fr Clive with the Bridgathon team

On the day of the canonisation of Carlo Acutis - Sunday 7 September, a group of us walked with Fr Clive Lee, Parish Priest at St Thomas More's, Manor House on the London Bridgathon - to raise funds for the haematology department at University College Hospital.

We met in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens at noon, and after collecting our t shirts, we walked down to the river and turned right - past Vauxhall, Lambeth and Westminster Bridges - posing for pictures in front of various sights - the Houses of Parliament, London Eye and South Bank, as well as admiring Egyptian Geese and Herring Gulls.

On we went past Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges - stopping for a little rest in a pub opposite St Paul's Cathedral before crossing the Millennium footbridge and beginning the trek on the north side of the river back to the park. (I left the group at Embankment station, but Fr Clive and the rest of his hardy team walked all the way back to the Gardens, where they collected their certificates). Altogether the walk was over 12.8 kilometres - (eight miles) - or as much as 19,800 steps!

Fr Clive Lee explained on his fundraising page: "I invite you to sponsor my walk across nine bridges on 7 September to raise money for the wonderful department at UCLH that has kept me alive for eight years.

"The London Bridgathon walk is in celebration of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, and is taking place on the day of his canonisation. All the money I raise will support haematology patients at University College Hospital, and contribute to research, nurses' education, complementary therapies, and hi-tech medical equipment."

St Carlo Acutis, who was born in London, died of leukaemia in 2006 at the age of just 15. He is the first patron saint of computers.

Haematology Cancer Care is a strong community of patients, families and staff committed to supporting blood cancers through fundraising activities and events. Uniquely, it is run by senior clinical staff working closely with all haematology teams and haematology patients ensuring donations make a significant impact on the services at UCLH.

It provides wide-ranging support including hi-tech medical equipment and research projects, free complementary therapy for patients and specialist education for nurses across six inpatient wards, day-care, ambulatory care and young adult and outpatient services.

If you would like to make a donation, see: https://justgiving.com/page/father-clive-lee-carlo-acutis