Blistered, bleeding feet did nothing to stop a Norfolk mum and her family from completing a 38-mile pilgrimage in two days to help persecuted Christians abroad.
Aloma Pampackal (nee Do Rozario) gathered her husband, two siblings and their families in a #hikeofhope from Norfolk to the Shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham on 20 September for the two-day trek.
Aloma, who works for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), was raising vital funds for the Catholic charity’s Red Wednesday campaign, which this year is supporting displaced children affected by war, violence and natural disasters.
The 17-strong group has so far raised more than £2,307 towards the cause which is match funded.
Wearing ACN branded t-shirts the group set off from Cathedral of St John the Baptist on Saturday morning, where they were blessed by the Dean of the Cathedral Church, Fr Alan Hodgson.
They stopped for supplies at Tesco and rests at The Station caravan park and Junction 21 Tea Rooms.
They were joined by another family who had been inspired by Aloma’s charity appeal during a Mass in Kings Lynn a week earlier.
Aloma said: “A lady who heard the appeal a week earlier in Kings Lynn expressed a desire to join me and on the second day the lady managed to convince her husband and their three kids to complete the 19 miles to the shrine which made a total of 17 of us at the finish line.”
They received cheers on the first day when walking through Sloughbottom Park where a Park Run was taking place from people who recognised them from ACN appeals in different local churches and schools.
She added: “The second day was mostly along a road and difficult with the rain and the wind. My daughter had a blister which popped and was bleeding. I walked three miles without shoes because mine were so painful. But some people who were also walking asked us what we were doing and what charity we were walking for which motivated the children. Many places where we stopped, like the caravan and tea rooms, they gave us a donation.”
When they reached Walsingham, parish priest Fr Keith Tulloch said a special mass for the group.
Last year Aloma raised more than £1,700 by climbing Ben Nevis after hearing an appeal in her church which she said had a “ripple effect” on her whole life, including leaving her managerial job for a corporate company in March to work for charity ACN.
She said: “Red Wednesday is a day when we all remember our forgotten brothers and sisters and stand in solidarity with them. It’s a day when we say I know we can’t be with you but here’s my contribution to ease your suffering. Doing a challenge is really good for families as it gets children away from screens. Doing something like this is really worth it.”
To donate visit: https://acnuk.donorsupport.co/page/FUNUKTJPNVA?fundraiser=Hike&member=SFTFYDPK
The Cathedral of St John the Baptist will be lit up for #RedWednesday on 19 November and Bishop Peter Collins will be saying Mass.