Walkers urged to take to the coast for WaterAid
WaterAid is calling on walkers of all ages and abilities in Cornwall to take to its spectacular coastal path and raise vital funds for some of the world's poorest people by taking part in Coast Along for WaterAid 2010.
The event, sponsored by Yorkshire Water and May Gurney, aims to get at least one team of walkers on 187 sections of coastal paths in selected regions throughout England, Scotland and Wales on Saturday 11 September 2010.
Money raised will help WaterAid to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene education to those living in poverty in Africa, Asia and the Pacific region.
The coast paths have been divided into sections of varying lengths, which have been graded by the organisers of the event as easy, moderate, strenuous or severe
Cornwall offers Coast Along participants 35 stretches of its south west coast path to choose from: 17 in North Cornwall and 28 in South Cornwall, from easy to severe, and from 5 to 11 miles in distance.
Participants are welcome to do a part of any of these sections, starting and finishing when they wish and walking at a pace that suits them.
Each team member is asked to raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship for their walk, with family teams or children raising whatever they can.
The distance walked by most Coast Along participants will be similar to the daily routine for millions of women and children in Africa and Asia. When communities don’t have access to clean water, the burden often falls to women and children who have to walk miles each day to collect water they know will make them ill.
For further information go to www.coastalongforwateraid.org or call 01225 526 149.
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. Our mission is to transform lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximise our impact. www.wateraid.org
- At least 4000 children die every day as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.
- 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population.
- 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation; this is almost two fifths of the world's population.
- Just £15 can enable one person to access safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation.