Posted on July 14, 2025

Gill is a member of the Peterborough branch of the Soroptimist Society who support a variety of projects and charities that focus on empowering and enabling the lives of women and girls. She is also a volunteer at the Garden House where she serves hot food, drinks and talk to the guests who need help.

In particular recognition of those women who are living on the streets and experiencing homelessness in Peterborough, Gill wanted to raise money for LPP but in particular Street Chaplaincy as their work follows the values and ethos of the Soroptimist Society. Gill’s target is to raise at least £1,000.

To reach her target, Gill will be taking on hikes located in several locations including the Lake District, the Shropshire hills and valleys, the North Yorkshire Moors and the five inhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly, and she aims to walk 130 miles. This will be achieved over four separate walking weeks, taking three days to complete in each area.

The final stages of the challenge

“Walking around the five inhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly is the final chapter of my 130 mile hiking challenge to raise money for Light Project Peterborough. Having already completed many of these miles in the Lake District, the North Yorkshire Moors and the Shropshire hills recently, this final leg sees me well on target.

The Isles of Scilly is only 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall, but you would be forgiven for thinking you were in the Caribbean as the islands boost beautiful white sands, turquoise waters and clear blue skies.

On Thursday 9th July, I walked 8 miles around Tresco. It is the second largest island and 175 people live there. It is steeped in history: Cromwell castle, Neolithic burial sites, an old Tudor blockhouse. The bird life and nature in general is amazing. Certainly, if you want to get away from it all, any of the Scilly Isles would provide a soothing retreat.

On Friday, I walked 13 miles around St Mary’s and on Saturday, another 5 miles around St Agnes. I could go on, but rather than sounding like a TV travel programme, I think it’s worth mentioning what goes on behind the scenes in these apparent idyllic places. How do these communities survive when a good 85 per cent of the economy relies on tourism in operation for around six months of the year.

For all its beauty, Scilly faces its own very acute housing crisis, with a shortage of affordable homes. This means many youngsters and families leave the islands, and the population is in serious decline. And just like Peterborough, the community faces many mental health challenges, relationship breakdowns, to name but a few, and although you don’t see street homeless as such, sofa surfing definitely happens.

So, as I am walking, I often go into a reflective mood, thinking about homeless issues and how they occur in all different types of communities, and how sad it is that our inadequate infrastructure, lack of funding and a whole host of other issues make it even more imperative that organisations like the LPP exist.

On a more positive note, I am having a break from walking tomorrow and have offered to volunteer my services to the Scilly Community Archaeology Group. They will be working on the medieval hermitage site on the uninhabited island of St Helens, which also has a pest house, and old isolation hospital built in 1764 to quarantine sailors arriving with the plague. Who knew?

Anyway, I feel very fortunate to have this wonderful opportunity, which to be honest, is mainly clearing vegetation around the sites, in very hot weather, rather than a Professor Alice Roberts thing, but I am sure that Dr Katherine Sawyer, the resident Scilly archaeologist, will provide some very interesting information, to provide more motivation whilst hacking at weeds!

Finally, after that, I will walk around the islands of Bryer and St Martin’s on my final two days, and that will be it – well over 130 miles completed.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all my walks, but have enjoyed them even more knowing the money will be going to a worthwhile cause. So, if anyone would like to sponsor me, it’s not too late: https://www.justgiving.com/page/gills-hiking-fundraiser.

Next year, I have over 200 miles of walks planned, but that’s another story….”