Ashton United
Sponsored Walk
Seven Ashton United Supporters Take on 40-mile Charity Walk
Over 1st and 2nd March of a group of seven intrepid Ashton United supporters undertook a mammoth 40 mile, two-day sponsored charity walk; starting from the club's Hurst Cross ground in Lancashire, the group trekked all the way up into The Peak District for the weekend's Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division fixture with Matlock Town - all with the aim of raising money and awareness for Ashton United In The Community.
This was no spring stroll - Day One consisted of a 30 mile stage that climbed just short of a 1,000 feet and, after starting at 7.30 in the morning, the walkers soon found themselves battered by snowstorms as they headed up through Stalybridge, then into the hills beyond Glossop. A weather-induced detour saw them tackle a stretch of the walk over the Derbyshire hills in snow over a foot deep before dropping into Chinley.
After a break for lunch, the walkers made headway for Dove Holes, where shortly afterwards they were joined along part of their route by Ashton United FC squad member George Milner (who lives in the area) as they made their way towards the next big target - joining the Monsal Trail near Buxton. The trail runs along what was formerly the Manchester to London Midland Railway Line and, after eleven and a half hours on the go, took the walkers into Bakewell for a well-deserved overnight rest stop. Following a couple of beers, and an hour or so dissecting the day's events, they headed off to bed in the hope of recharging for the day ahead. Day Two started with brighter weather, but Saturday morning also saw two casualties - one of the walkers dropped out with a re-occurrence of an old knee problem and, after running repairs on the Monsal Trail the night before, Stephen Parker's walking boots ended up in the hotel's bin and he had to make do with a pair of training shoes for the last leg of the journey. Worse still was the ominous news coming out of Matlock that there was a pitch inspection planned for 10.15 - just about the time the group were setting off for the final stage, with some ten miles still to cover. As the walkers were still getting into their stride, the news came through that the playing surface had become the third casualty of the day - the referee had had no choice but to postpone the fixture. Undaunted - and with no other options either - the group carried on to the end, and a number of volunteers quickly came forward with offers to drive up from Ashton to Matlock and collect the walkers at the end of their route. The reception at Matlock was great to see, after just under 16 hours walking, the group were greeted by a 7ft tall foam Gladiator, Matlock Town's very own mascot, a number of fans and players from Matlock Town FC, the Ashton United Supporters who had made the trip over regardless, and more importantly, a pint and a chip butty, kindly provided free of charge by the staff at the ground.
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In all the sponsored walk raised over £3000 towards the activities of Ashton United in the community. Congratulations to walkers Scott Bruton, Emma Gordon, Ellie Matthews, Ian Matthews, Stephen Parker, Luke Sayle & Wayne Schofield.