The day for me and Joe started with an interview on Radio Merseyside at around 7.25am just before the news, me getting in my car in South Liverpool to meet up with Joe and his friends and Joe himself talking about the walk and his brain tumour on the radio from his home in Southport.
I arrived at Southport Hospital with suit carrier in my car with time to have tea and the magic bacon butties to revive me as my day had started at 5.00am, so at around 8.30am it was just what I needed for the day ahead. At around 9.00am, Joe and his son Matthew arrived along with other walkers and by 9.30am we were all assembled for the start of the walk in good spirits as you can see from the photo below.
After an official photo for Joe’s local paper “Champion” they set off for the 17 miles ahead, however I cheated and set off in my car, passing them on the way to the A 565 Liverpool road before turning off to meet up with the Trans Pennine trail then onto Lydiate where they then followed the Leeds-Liverpool canal as far as Aintree, before arriving at the Walton Centre at around 5.00pm, a journey of just over 16 miles as the pedometer told us on the day, so not quite 17 but near enough for me. On my way to the Walton centre from Southport, I called in for a cup of tea and a few laughs at Gordon and Brenda Milward’s house, 2 of the speakers for later in the day, a patient and a carer, as well as them also looking after the Parkinson’s information table, it came as a welcome relief for what would for me be a busy afternoon.
The reason for the suit carrier will now become clear. I am a Merseyside governor for the Walton Centre, where I also volunteer and along with asking Joe to do this walk in what is Brain Awareness Week I had also arranged for what we called Brain Awareness day, a chance for members of the public and members to get information about the Trust and talk to fellow governors, as well as get information from around 25 neurological charities on the day, which started at around 2.00pm and finished at 5.00pm and that finishing time is important because along with the charities in the lecture theatre we had a doctor giving a presentation about epilepsy, a physiotherapist talking about her work and for me the highlight, patients and carers telling their stories of how they live from day to day with their condition.
I know personally all of the 5 people who talked about themselves and I was the link to present them to members of the public and as I sat and listened to very moving stories of their lives, in another part of the site Joe and his friends had at last made the nearly 17 mile journey, they had arrived at the entrance to the Walton Centre. Time had been running against me meeting up at the end as throughout the afternoon I had phoned Joe and the original time of 3.30pm had become a distant memory and the presentations were also running late, I could not be in 2 places at once with my trusty camera. Fortunately we did have as they say a plan B in the shape of my link to the Walton Centre, Karen Lloyd and Michelle Barry who with the Trust’s camera have supplied me with the final photo.
I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the walk and brain awareness day, whether it was in raising money through sponsorship, which now stands at around £550 with more money to be collected for Neurosupport and The Brain Tumour Support Group. Everyone from the Walton Centre who helped with the organisation and members of the public who supported the event, charities who turned up as well as people who supported Joe by sponsoring him on his walk, the whole purpose of both the walk and the Brain Awareness Day was to raise awareness to people who maybe are not aware of The Walton Centre and Neurosupport and neurological conditions and how they can affect peoples’ lives and their families.
If you would like any more information about becoming a member please contact
Tel:0800 783 3829 the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.
For more information about Neurosupport and The Brain Tumour Support Group or if you still want to donate http://www.justgiving.com/Joe-Paton
Tel: 0151 298 2999
Alan Clark Merseyside governor contact details
alan.clark200@hotmail.com or contact Neurosupport
I arrived at Southport Hospital with suit carrier in my car with time to have tea and the magic bacon butties to revive me as my day had started at 5.00am, so at around 8.30am it was just what I needed for the day ahead. At around 9.00am, Joe and his son Matthew arrived along with other walkers and by 9.30am we were all assembled for the start of the walk in good spirits as you can see from the photo below.
After an official photo for Joe’s local paper “Champion” they set off for the 17 miles ahead, however I cheated and set off in my car, passing them on the way to the A 565 Liverpool road before turning off to meet up with the Trans Pennine trail then onto Lydiate where they then followed the Leeds-Liverpool canal as far as Aintree, before arriving at the Walton Centre at around 5.00pm, a journey of just over 16 miles as the pedometer told us on the day, so not quite 17 but near enough for me. On my way to the Walton centre from Southport, I called in for a cup of tea and a few laughs at Gordon and Brenda Milward’s house, 2 of the speakers for later in the day, a patient and a carer, as well as them also looking after the Parkinson’s information table, it came as a welcome relief for what would for me be a busy afternoon.
The reason for the suit carrier will now become clear. I am a Merseyside governor for the Walton Centre, where I also volunteer and along with asking Joe to do this walk in what is Brain Awareness Week I had also arranged for what we called Brain Awareness day, a chance for members of the public and members to get information about the Trust and talk to fellow governors, as well as get information from around 25 neurological charities on the day, which started at around 2.00pm and finished at 5.00pm and that finishing time is important because along with the charities in the lecture theatre we had a doctor giving a presentation about epilepsy, a physiotherapist talking about her work and for me the highlight, patients and carers telling their stories of how they live from day to day with their condition.
I know personally all of the 5 people who talked about themselves and I was the link to present them to members of the public and as I sat and listened to very moving stories of their lives, in another part of the site Joe and his friends had at last made the nearly 17 mile journey, they had arrived at the entrance to the Walton Centre. Time had been running against me meeting up at the end as throughout the afternoon I had phoned Joe and the original time of 3.30pm had become a distant memory and the presentations were also running late, I could not be in 2 places at once with my trusty camera. Fortunately we did have as they say a plan B in the shape of my link to the Walton Centre, Karen Lloyd and Michelle Barry who with the Trust’s camera have supplied me with the final photo.
I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the walk and brain awareness day, whether it was in raising money through sponsorship, which now stands at around £550 with more money to be collected for Neurosupport and The Brain Tumour Support Group. Everyone from the Walton Centre who helped with the organisation and members of the public who supported the event, charities who turned up as well as people who supported Joe by sponsoring him on his walk, the whole purpose of both the walk and the Brain Awareness Day was to raise awareness to people who maybe are not aware of The Walton Centre and Neurosupport and neurological conditions and how they can affect peoples’ lives and their families.
If you would like any more information about becoming a member please contact
Tel:0800 783 3829 the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.
For more information about Neurosupport and The Brain Tumour Support Group or if you still want to donate http://www.justgiving.com/Joe-Paton
Tel: 0151 298 2999
Alan Clark Merseyside governor contact details
alan.clark200@hotmail.com or contact Neurosupport
