THE Walkers & Talkers group at Gloucestershire Cricket held a sponsored walk to raise funds for its future and to buy defibrillators for the area.
The group was set up by former Glos player Andy Brassington a year to bring together like-minded people, promote an active lifestyle, and to ensure regular social contact for those who became disconnected during the challenging Covid years.
Hosted every Wednesday at the Seat Unique Stadium, Walkers and Talkers regularly welcomes up to 100 attendees free of charge. Guest speakers have included ex-England cricketers, rugby players and TV personalities.
The sponsored walk on April 12 featured an appearance and a Q&A session with former Gloucestershire player, Mike Smith. The prolific left-arm bowler made more than 400 appearances for Gloucestershire and claimed more than 830 wickets.
Andy Brassington said: “It’s amazing what a cuppa, a stroll and a chat can do. Everyone benefits from it and the constant high number of people attending is overwhelming. The sponsored walk is our chance to enable the sessions to become self-sufficient as well as giving back to other areas within our community. To think that a defibrillator funded by the members of Walkers & Talkers could one day save the life of someone in the community fills me with a huge sense of pride.”
The initiative had raised £2,400 online as the Voice went to print. If you like to show your support, donations can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/walkersandtalkers2023