A FUND-RAISER and her two furry friends have stepped out to raise money for charity.
Morrisons Community Champion Alex Pearson walked the 13 miles between stores in Leamington and Stratford to raise money for Warwickshire-based sexual abuse charity Safeline.
She was joined by her two dogs Archie and Chester and had support along the way from Leamington mayor Susan Rasmussen and Stratford mayor Tony Jackson.
More than £500 was donated to Alex’s fund-raising page, while some £260 was collected in store.
Alex said: “It was a lovely day to do the charity walk, which started with meeting the Leamington mayor, chatting about ideas we can do in the community, while walking the first mile together.
“I met the president of Warwick Lions further along and enjoyed walking and talking for another mile. Again, we spoke about things we can do together to help the community. It was rather fitting as she was the person who introduced me to Safeline.
“Archie was a star and enjoyed all the fuss he got while Chester was pushed most of the way in his pushchair – which he loved.
“The hardest part of the walk was when I reached Stratford and my legs were starting to flake but seeing the Stratford mayor and mayoress at Morrisons Stratford store, with a fanfare of staff clapping me in, was just amazing.
“Thank you to everyone who helped us reach the fantastic total and to everyone who cheered me and my lovely dogs along.”
Safeline says while its fund-raising income has dropped throughout the pandemic the number of people using its services has increased.
Spokeswoman Rachel Stevens said: “We are so grateful to Alex and her doggy companions Chester and Archie for helping to raise awareness of Safeline’s support for people affected by sexual violence and abuse.
“Fundraising income has dropped drastically through this pandemic while need for Safeline’s services has increased drastically. For example the proportion of children and young people accessing Safeline’s Child Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service has increased by 50 per cent since lockdown began in March 2020.”
Visit www.safeline.org.uk to find out more about the charity or donate.
