Walk for Wellbeing - an amazing day out

Sophie Watt told us all about the brilliant day she had on our Walk for Wellbeing.

Sophie has been a supporter of the Charlie Waller Trust for many years as she has a family connection to the charity. She is also a key member of the committee for our London carol service – the Trust’s annual flagship fundraising event.

When she saw the Walk for Wellbeing advertised in the newsletter, she jumped at the chance to take part.

“It was the perfect activity for me,” she says. “I am an awful runner, but I do love to walk, so I signed up with my husband, Henry.”

Henry exercises every day – Sophie says it’s important for his mental health.

Sophie Watt and another Walk for Wellbeing participant smiling and leaning against a London plane tree

A day full of highlights

Sophie does “a lot of running around as a mum!” and enjoys Pilates and swimming.

“Once I’ve done it,” she says, “my body and mind feel better. That’s one of the reasons why I signed up to do the walk, for that sense of achievement.”

The day itself was full of highlights right from the start. Sophie says: “We all met at Bushy Park, just as the sun was rising. It was magical to see the stags surrounding Diana’s Fountain in the park; there was a sense of deep calmness surrounding them.

Back view of Sophie Watt walking along the North bank of the Thames

“I’ve lived in London for 20 years but I saw so many secret parts of the city that I’d never visited before: I found it so interesting to walk through Brompton Cemetry and then later on in the walk through the streets to Greenwich. It felt like going on a architectural tour of our amazing city.”

Sophie spent much of the walk talking with Henry but she loved meeting her fellow walkers too. “It was fascinating finding out what brought everyone together,” she says. “There was a real sense of community.

“It felt quite like mindfulness,” she adds. “– nature all around you and you’re outside your normal environment.

"It is an amazing way to spend a day. You take time out of your life and meet new people, whilst doing a great form of exercise for your mind and body, while also knowing that you’re raising money for an incredible charity.”

Raising awareness of mental health

Sophie is keen to increase awareness of our work. She says: “Raising awareness of mental health is so important, so that it’s not such a taboo for us and our children. I’d like my daughters to be aware if a friend was struggling, to have the confidence and understanding to know how to approach them and to build a conversation and let their friend know that they weren’t alone.”

Sophie hopes to do this year’s Walk for Wellbeing along the South Downs Way and, if she can, will get some friends to join her. She hopes many others will do the same.

Sophie Watt and Lucy Llewelyn walking past Buckingham Palace in Charlie Waller T-shirts

Sophie (right) with the Trust's Lucy Llewelyn

“It’s an adventure,” she says, “grab a friend and take time out of your life to meet other people, be part of a new community, and do something for yourself as well as for the Charlie Waller Trust.”