Youth walk from Eastbourne Pier to Hastings Pier

Embarking on what they nicknamed the Pier-to-Pier Challenge, youth from HTH Church and P84 (short for Psalm 84) embraced the British weather in all its glory yesterday as they set off from Eastbourne to walk the beautiful but exhausting 16.5 miles back to Hastings.

Approximately 25 teenagers and adults braved this task in aid of ‘Blue Bear Freedom’, which exists to sponsor the restoration, education and empowerment of teenage sex trafficking, and to raise awareness for the injustice of exploitation.

Along the way, participants enjoyed gorgeous, if windy views while they chatted, sang songs, raced and discussed the important issue for which they were raising money. Alongside fundraising for a worthy issue, this walk also seems to have been a great opportunity for those involved to create a greater sense of community, breaking down barriers between age groups.

Rosalind Bootle, one of the leaders on the 16.5 mile hike, admitted that she particularly enjoyed having wonderful conversations about the charitable cause as well as life, school, friends and faith with young members of the group. For her, the tiring walk was especially meaningful as it was in aid of victims who themselves must sometimes, “make long gruelling journeys far, far away from their homes. Sometimes they are kidnapped and sometimes traffickers promise the families of the children that they’ll have a better future elsewhere, which is particularly prevalent amongst those living in poverty”.

While not an easy task, the long and challenging walk certainly appears to have been an enjoyable experience. Joely Overington, another leader on the walk, praised the teamwork and amazing views they were treated to on the way, saying “we kept a pretty good pace, we all struggled at times but kept each other upbeat and positive. It was such a lovely time spent with youth and leaders in the outdoors, and for such a good cause. Altogether, it was great to be outside in God’s creation, especially walking for most of the way alongside the sea- which was gorgeous and choppy.”

Organised by Dave Mills and Bethanna Hobbs, the walk ended successfully with those involved gratefully returning to Hastings in high spirits in the late afternoon of April 3rd. An online fundraising page, which at the time of writing had received £514 in donations, is still open for those who would like to donate. You can find it here.

Bryn the founder of Blue Bear is a close friend of Dave’s and all the money raised will go directly to help support victims of modern slavery. For Dave’s part, he believes "it was a joy to help bring youth together. Especially for an event that enabled them to partake in something not only memorable but also positive and transformational for young people who have suffered abuse and exploitation in the Dominican Republic".

If you would like to get involved, follow the donation link above or get in touch with HTH church at [email protected] to learn more about future fundraising events.