Maggie's Culture Crawl 2015

On Friday 18 September my Mum and I headed to Paternoster Square, under the shadow of St Paul’s, to start Maggie’s Culture Crawl 2015. We did the walk last year and loved it, so were keen to walk the 15 miles to support Maggie’s Cancer Centres once again.  It’s not just a 15 mile walk, you also visit some amazing cultural stops along the way and this year they were lit up under the theme #litupformaggies.

So once we’d collected our t-shirts, tattooed our faces (with some success) and done some stretches we were on our way! Last year the first stop came quite quickly into the walk but this year we had a little further to go which was good as you walked for a long time in one large group along the Thames, annoying a few joggers on the way.

First stop was the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, after we’d had a nose through the gates at 10 Downing Street of course. We walked through the stunning entrance and along lush carpeted corridors to an impressive hall where there was to be a performance from the Royal Ballet. This was a specially curated piece for Maggie’s called “She Remembers”. I’ve never seen a full ballet performance but after this I would love to. It was completely stunning and mesmerising and as it finished both my Mum and I were trying, and failing, to hold back our tears. It’s especially moving seeing something so beautiful with such evocative music and reading the messages on the backs of fellow walkers t-shirts, showing who they are walking Maggie’s for.

After this emotionally draining performance we welcomed the next leg of the walk along the river to Chelsea Physic Garden. What lay in store for the walkers here was not a surprise to me as I work at the Garden. But still entering the Garden through the Embankment Gates, which are rarely used as an entrance, into an almost pitch-black Garden was quite magical.

The light installation in the Garden was stunning, white paper cranes suspended from a tree with simple white lights shining on them. Written underneath this was a moving story about a young girl who developed Leukaemia 10 years after the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima, just 1 mile from her home. She created 1,300 paper cranes after her father told her the Japanese legend that if you fold 1000 paper cranes you would be granted a wish, but tragically she died aged 12. We were almost moved to tears again as we read her story.

There was herbal tea at the Garden, which was welcome refreshment at this stage of the walk, mile 5 of 15.

Next we walked over the beautiful Albert Bridge and headed to the Foster + Partners Studio. Foster + Partners have designed the Maggie’s Centre in Manchester so it was fascinating to see their architectural models as well as the other various projects adorning the walls. I walk past the offices on my way to work so it was a treat to again be allowed inside again this year, and see the different projects on display. The crisps and juice were also welcome to provide an energy boost for the next leg of the walk.

A walk through Chelsea led us to Brompton Cemetery. We’ve always wanted to go so it was fascinating to visit in the dark. A bit creepy, but luckily there were still quite a few people walking together at this stage of the walk. We went to the Chapel and watched a film about an artist with cancer discuss his work and the impact of cancer on his life. His thought provoking comments on life and death were incredibly moving, particularly given our surroundings. Again we were moved and wondered if in fact it would be our emotional energy that would run out before our legs got tired!  

A packet of seeds gave us another energy boost and we walked the next leg of the walk to Maggie’s West London.

As the walk is raising money for Maggie’s Cancer Centres it is fantastic to visit a Maggie’s Centre at Charing Cross Hospital to see first hand what they are like and what they offer people with cancer. Their slogan “People with cancer need places like these” comes alive as you step through the door, making me even more determined to do as much as I can to raise money to support their work. We sat and wrote on leaves our wishes for the people we know who are fighting cancer, and then hung these on a wish tree. Reading other people’s messages was an emotional experience and on leaving Maggie’s, filled with tea, we know that we’re supporting an incredible charity.

It was quite a long walk next as we made our way to the V&A Museum, so a Heatherwick bus with caramel wafers was a treat, although I’ll give the coconut water a miss next time. I’m a big fan of the V&A so it was a treat to be allowed inside the museum in the middle of the night. We had another cup of tea and while Mum had an apple, I had a muffin. The Western Cast Court was open and there was a meditative atmosphere as at this stage of the walk the groups were quite spaced out.  As much as I wanted to go exploring one of my favourite museums further, we still had about 4 miles to go so it was back to the pavement to continue our walk!

We started to feel the tiredness hit at this point, a 15 miles walk is quite a long way, let alone doing it through the night. It was about 12.45am at this point so we were starting to get tired, which did make us slightly hysterical. I also realised I had a really sore throat as well as slightly stiff legs, we had been talking non-stop for about 10 hours at this point though…

It was into Hyde Park next and a visit to the Serpentine Pavilion, which we’d both wanted to go to, so again it was a complete treat to go in the middle of the night. I also think it was impressive because it was dark, not sure how impressed I’d have been in daylight as thought it would be more of a maze inside.

We started to get excited as the end approached, just one more stop before we reached the finish line! It was another treat as we went to The Keeper’s House at the Royal Academy of Arts where there was an exhibition of artwork by an artist in residence at Maggie’s Centres. The artist was there so it was interesting to hear what he had to say about his work, I’m glad he announced himself so that we didn’t embarrass ourselves with any comments about the work! However the sketches wonderfully captured the various activities that take place at Maggie’s.

Now it was the final mile, mile 15! It was about 2.30am at this point and I wouldn’t choose to walk through Leicester Square at this time of night on a good day, let alone when we were starting to hobble slightly. But we got through the crowds of drunken revellers being kicked out of the clubs and made it to the tranquillity of Covent Garden. The installation of balloons looked stunning and as we turned the final corner we were encouraged to pick an apple suspended above us and given our medals. A toast with a glass of prosecco was the perfect end to an inspirational, emotional and just brilliant night with my Mum.

We’re still collecting sponsorship so if you’d like to donate to Maggie’s Centres and support the amazing work they do please click here, thank you! And thank you to all our generous family and friends who have donated already.