Brothers set to walk 24 hours non-stop along Bournemouth and Poole’s beaches

Brothers, Luke and Joseph Hawker, are taking on a unique fundraising challenge in aid of Diverse Abilities, on Saturday 1st July.

They will be walking the 7-mile stretch of Bournemouth and Poole beaches for 24 hours non-stop. The route will be up and down the coastline from Sandbanks Beach Office to Hengistbury Head for a full 24 hours. Adapting to whatever weather conditions the first weekend in July will bring, they will be contending with no sleep and meals on the go. The pair’s chosen charity, Diverse Abilities, supports people who have life-long disabilities as well as complex medical needs. Their services are open to them and their families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, this challenge pays homage to the work of the charity but also aims to highlight the struggles families face living with disability.  

The idea came from Luke Hawker, a Trust, and Grants Fundraiser at Diverse Abilities. He comments, “I was inspired to take on a 24-hour challenge that had never been done before. As the 7-mile stretch of Bournemouth and Poole beaches is so iconic to Dorset, which is the core area Diverse Abilities covers, walking it for a straight 24-hours seemed to represent the charity very well, and of course, has never been done before. The beach is also a highly diverse and accessible place. This is what Diverse Abilities is all about.” 

Luke will be joined by his brother, Joseph, who is a teacher currently living in Doha, Qatar. Joseph is flying over to the UK especially for the challenge. The brothers are expected to be joined by over 20 friends, family and colleagues at certain points throughout the day, including their childhood friends, Emilio Crespi, Connor Oliver and James Crana.

SoBo Beach, located on Southbourne beach are supporting the challenge by supplying Luke and Joe and their core team with food and refreshments for the duration of the walk.

For more information about the challenge, and to sponsor Luke and Joseph visit their JustGiving page Luke Hawker is fundraising for Diverse Abilities (justgiving.com). You can find more about the charity at diverseabilities.org.uk.