Walk the Bryson Line - part of our #ManyMoreHearts Catheter Lab Appeal

Super fundraisers Jeff and Kate Hedges are taking on the challenge of a lifetime. Will you sponsor them and support our #ManyMoreHearts Catheter Lab Appeal?

In his 2015 book 'The Road to Little Dribbling', Bill Bryson identified the shortest distance one can travel across the UK in a straight line without crossing salt water - a 569 mile route from the Scottish Highlands' Cape Wrath, down through to Bognor Regis in West Sussex.

Inspired by the 'Bryson Line', and a will to "give something back to this wonderful country", four Americans and one Brit are set to embark on a 30-day walking challenge across UK, one that starts off at the very top of Scotland, and continues down through England via The Peak District and the edge of The Cotswolds, to finish up at the seaside town of Bognor Regis. They will even be joined by Mr Bryson himself for some of the route. 

“Our Anglo-American team determined that the Bryson Line represented something other than just a straight line across the mainland of the UK; it represented a challenge and an opportunity for a group of anglophile Americans and their friends to take an idea created by another anglophile American and turn it into a way of giving back to this wonderful country we call home.”

The team are raising over £100k for five different UK-based charities, and we are delighted that Jeff and Kate have picked ours to be one of them. 

They have chosen to donate all the money they raise from this extraordinary challenge to our #ManyMoreHearts Appeal, which aims to buy the very latest, state-of-the-art equipment for our catheter laboratory, where hundreds of patients undergo life-saving procedures every year. 

The inspiration

In January 2016, the team's founding member Kate was diagnosed with lung cancer. After receiving world-class treatment and care at Royal Brompton Hospital, Kate was back on her feet, and, remarkably, even smashed the 2017 Los Angeles Marathon in aid of our charity.

Here's Kate, pictured with Bill Bryson to her right and husband Jeff to her left with another team mate. She explains:

As far as I am concerned, I wouldn't be walking anywhere - much less 569 miles - were it not for the treatment I received at the Royal Brompton Hospital. When the charity asks for help with its appeals, making a contribution is the least I can do. And I know every pound will be used to give others with heart and lung conditions the best possible outcomes and that makes me very happy indeed. 

Sponsor Jeff and Kate today by clicking donate 

Feeling inspired?

Jeff and Kate are encouraging keen walkers to take on their own challenges, during one of their 'Walk with us' days.

Join them in person along certain parts of the route (listed below), or in spirit by taking on a day's walking somewhere convenient to you.

If you’d like to join Jeff and Kate in person on one of the ‘Walk with us’ days listed please email our Fundraising Team for more information: [email protected]  

However, if you’d like to take on a walk in your local area in the spirit of ‘Walk the Bryson Line’ simply choose your challenge date, create your fundraising page here, and get involved virtually through Twitter, using the hash tag #WalktheBrysonLine 

Walk the Bryson Line will start on Saturday 9 June and finish on 8 July 2018.

Walk with us days:

Find out more about the team, the route and the inspiration for this extraordinary challenge, on the team's website or Facebook page.

We're sure you'll join us in wishing the very best of luck to Jeff and Kate!

Thank you for your support.