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Northampton to Cheltenham walk

9goalswentpastperry
Posts: 1,109
I posted on the Northampton thread that I am setting off on foot at full time at Sixfields and walking to Cheltenham for our game there next Tuesday. It began as something I simply fancied doing as I enjoy long walks anyway.
I work for a charity called Gordon Moody. We rehabilitate those most severely affected by gambling harms and back in 2003 I was rehabilitated myself in our Beckenham treatment centre. One of the highest points in Charlton's history coinciding with the lowest point in my own life.
Upon completing my own treatment I became a volunteer for the organisation whilst doing a counselling qualification and since 2005 I have worked full time for them. I became the manager of the Beckenham centre in 2020. The very same place where I had my own therapy. Although that centre very sadly closed last year Gordon Moody continues to help many men and women reclaim and rebuild their lives free from gambling.
I am doing the walk for my own pleasure but also as an awareness and fund raising venture. There is also a Just Giving page linked below. I have got a Gordon Moody flag which will adorn my rucksack so it'll be visible at both games and across the 65 mile route.
The club kindly featured me in the Pompey programme as well. The more people know that help is out there the better.
Thanks for reading to the end and do please share with friends who aren't on Charlton Life. We aren't an especially well known charity so any awareness raising is great. I didn't think there was residential help for gamblers when I rang a helpline 21 years ago. I'm so glad there was.
Thanks to those who posted to say this should have its own thread. I didn't want to be too invasive. Anyway, here is the link. (I hope it works!)
https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-hollingsworth-1708434519554?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page/david-hollingsworth-1708434519554&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
I work for a charity called Gordon Moody. We rehabilitate those most severely affected by gambling harms and back in 2003 I was rehabilitated myself in our Beckenham treatment centre. One of the highest points in Charlton's history coinciding with the lowest point in my own life.
Upon completing my own treatment I became a volunteer for the organisation whilst doing a counselling qualification and since 2005 I have worked full time for them. I became the manager of the Beckenham centre in 2020. The very same place where I had my own therapy. Although that centre very sadly closed last year Gordon Moody continues to help many men and women reclaim and rebuild their lives free from gambling.
I am doing the walk for my own pleasure but also as an awareness and fund raising venture. There is also a Just Giving page linked below. I have got a Gordon Moody flag which will adorn my rucksack so it'll be visible at both games and across the 65 mile route.
The club kindly featured me in the Pompey programme as well. The more people know that help is out there the better.
Thanks for reading to the end and do please share with friends who aren't on Charlton Life. We aren't an especially well known charity so any awareness raising is great. I didn't think there was residential help for gamblers when I rang a helpline 21 years ago. I'm so glad there was.
Thanks to those who posted to say this should have its own thread. I didn't want to be too invasive. Anyway, here is the link. (I hope it works!)

https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-hollingsworth-1708434519554?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page/david-hollingsworth-1708434519554&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
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Comments
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What a great idea.
Stuck a small amount on the just giving page0 -
👏👏 56 miles. Fair play. 👏👏1
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Henry Irving said:What a great idea.
Stuck a small amount on the just giving page
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Donated, good luck.0
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guinnessaddick said:Donated, good luck.0
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Donated, all the best. Hope your endeavour gets us 6 points !!
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red10 said:Donated, all the best. Hope your endeavour gets us 6 points !!
Yep, I would love 6 points. Certainly getting the first 3 on Saturday will make the schlep a little easier!0 -
Thanks for sharing that link, @clive . The club have been very supportive of this.1
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Good luck David, hopefully we get 6 points to celebrate!2
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Sponsored links:
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Well done, that's brilliant
donation done see you at Cheltenham.
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Glad to make a donation - well done with all your good charity work, David. And wishing you smooth going on the hike!1
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Good luck with the walk David, I hope you get a lot of sponsorship. As with the PSA testing, I'm in for £1 for:
- every point the 1st team get
- every goal they score
- plus an extra £1 if any of the academy graduates score
- every clean sheet we keep
- plus an extra £5 if we keep clean sheets in both games
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aliwibble said:Good luck with the walk David, I hope you get a lot of sponsorship. As with the PSA testing, I'm in for £1 for:
- every point the 1st team get
- every goal they score
- plus an extra £1 if any of the academy graduates score
- every clean sheet we keep
- plus an extra £5 if we keep clean sheets in both games
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Donated. Hope you're getting good walking weather!1
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Day three completed. Safely in Moreton in Marsh. Did today's 19 miles in 5h 40m which we were pretty pleased with.
Twenty miles left to the Completely Suzuki. 🙏17 -
Nice going David, both with the walk itself, and being 78% towards your target. I hope you aren't getting too many blisters.My sponsorship has had an OK start, although it could have been even better if not for Isted having a brain fart.
Northampton: 1 point, 1 goal, plus Anderson goal bonus = £3Hopefully we'll manage to do even better at Cheltenham.3 -
aliwibble said:Nice going David, both with the walk itself, and being 78% towards your target. I hope you aren't getting too many blisters.My sponsorship has had an OK start, although it could have been even better if not for Isted having a brain fart.
Northampton: 1 point, 1 goal, plus Anderson goal bonus = £3Hopefully we'll manage to do even better at Cheltenham.
Weather looks set fair so should be another good day with three points to come this evening. Glad I'm on the coach afterwards so I won't have far to walk at full time.
Can't believe how many people have sponsored me. Almost 100 donors which is incredible. And the awareness raising is invaluable as well. So pleased.
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9goalswentpastperry said:aliwibble said:Nice going David, both with the walk itself, and being 78% towards your target. I hope you aren't getting too many blisters.My sponsorship has had an OK start, although it could have been even better if not for Isted having a brain fart.
Northampton: 1 point, 1 goal, plus Anderson goal bonus = £3Hopefully we'll manage to do even better at Cheltenham.
Weather looks set fair so should be another good day with three points to come this evening. Glad I'm on the coach afterwards so I won't have far to walk at full time.
Can't believe how many people have sponsored me. Almost 100 donors which is incredible. And the awareness raising is invaluable as well. So pleased.1 -
Sponsored links:
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9goalswentpastperry said:*** Joke alert ***
Have donated3 -
Have donated. Well done David.
It's now a lovely day for a long walk here in the Cotswolds. Let's hope you are rewarded with a win tonight.1 -
I think we're the first ones here.17
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Well done! May hit target by kick off!1
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No, May hit the target in the 90th minuteWell done David, I'm glad you got to see a win after trekking all the way there. I'm pleased to say last night was a more expensive evening for me:That makes a total of a nice round tenner, which I've now donated, and that takes you up to 86% of your target.
Northampton: 1 point, 1 goal, plus Anderson goal bonus = £3
Cheltenham: 3 points, 3 goals, plus Kanu goal bonus = £7
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aliwibble said:No, May hit the target in the 90th minuteWell done David, I'm glad you got to see a win after trekking all the way there. I'm pleased to say last night was a more expensive evening for me:That makes a total of a nice round tenner, which I've now donated, and that takes you up to 86% of your target.
Northampton: 1 point, 1 goal, plus Anderson goal bonus = £3
Cheltenham: 3 points, 3 goals, plus Kanu goal bonus = £7
I wrote a final piece on the Just Giving page but it's disappeared.
I've had a brilliant few days and feel surprisingly spritely this morning. Amazing what an away win does for mind, body and soul.
I never expected to get close the my target amount so the fact it's gone so high is in large part thanks to Charlton fans who have been so incredibly kind and generous. The words of encouragement were so helpful too as the legs got heavier the further we walked.
I'd walk another 65 miles for Nathan and the lads. 😊2 -
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