Boundary Walk fundraising record broken
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The Maidenhead Boundary Walk 2024 was a day full of memories for all those who took part, and a resounding success, bringing together 549 walkers who raised an impressive £22,538 for over 58 different charities.
The Rotary Clubs of Maidenhead and Maidenhead Bridge (with volunteer support from Maidenhead Rotaract, the Civic Society and GoodGym) organised the event, which drew participants from across the community to take part in this historic 13-mile tradition of 'Beating the Bounds'. To mark the 90th anniversary of the Maidenhead Boundary Stones, organisers revived a special tradition for the youngest walkers, handing out historic souvenir sixpences to the first 90 children to complete the route, along with a numbered certificate (see article below). In total, 56 volunteers donated over 167 hours of their time to help make the event a success, manning checkpoints, stewarding road crossings, and ensuring the smooth running of the event. This year's Boundary Walk was notable for several standout achievements:
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The walk was officially started by Sarah Street, President of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary; Matthew Burdett, President of Maidenhead Rotary Club; Joshua Reynolds, MP for Maidenhead; the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Councillor Simon Bond; and Kate Hodge, Rotary District Governor for the Thames Valley.
Rotary proceeds from this year’s event, expected to reach around £2,500, will go to Alzheimer’s Dementia Support, the nominated charity for 2024. Event organiser Lisa Hunter expressed her delight at the day’s success: "We are thrilled to see such a fantastic turnout this year. The Boundary Walk continues to grow in numbers and in the impact it has for local charities. I’d like to thank all the walkers and volunteers who made this year’s event such a success. We couldn’t have done it without you." For the second year running, walkers also enjoyed the convenience of the Zuvolo app, which guided participants around the route and allowed organisers to track their progress. "This technology ensures that we can continue making the event safer and more sustainable for the future," added Lisa The community spirit was high as participants celebrated both the event’s fundraising success and the revival of cherished traditions. Sarah Street, President of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club, said “The Boundary Walk exemplifies the very best of our community — people coming together to raise funds for good causes while enjoying the historic beauty of our town.” |
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Above and below: Makindu Dental Project team
2024 Boundary Walk commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Borough of Maidenhead’s Boundary Stones
Ann Darracott of Maidenhead Civic Society holds a sixpence and a small bag while Eddie Piekut of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary holds the model mace and the mini certificates that include an explanation of what a sixpence is.
In 1934 the Borough of Maidenhead ordered 48 boundary stones to be placed round the newly expanded boundary of Maidenhead, today 31 stones remain and the search for others continues.
In 2024 the Rotary Clubs of Maidenhead and Maidenhead Bridge, who organise the annual Boundary Walk, with support from Maidenhead Civic Society, have organised a special event to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the boundary being marked. The organisers will be repeating what was done when the boundary was walked in 1963 when participating children were given a souvenir sixpence as part of a “Beating the Bounds” ceremony. Ninety children who participate in the 2024 Boundary Walk on Sunday 6th October, will receive a small bag containing a sixpence and a numbered certificate that includes images of the 1934 sixpence, bearing the head of the then King, George V and an explanation of what a sixpence was. This coin was part of the Imperial system that was replaced by the Metric System in 1971. These coins have been collected thanks to publicity in the Advertiser and the Civic Society newsletter and the generosity of those who donated the sixpences. The annual event sees hundreds of walkers raise thousands of pounds in sponsorship as they retrace the traditional 13-mile path of the old Maidenhead Borough, or a shorter family friendly 2.5-mile route. The event is a ready-made fundraiser, and the route is fully signposted and stewarded by volunteers. All participants have to do is register, raise sponsorship and complete the walk. The event is open to everyone, though under-16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Entry fees for the traditional walk are £6 for adults and £1 for children. For the family route the cost is £3 for adults and £1 for children. |
The shorter family-friendly 4.9 kilometer walk
This has been modified to allow our friends from ADS to attend, allowing for two short-cuts providing even shorter walks this year. This year the overall MBW and the family-friendly walk will especially feature the ADS charity in addition to other charities. Preserving the Maidenhead heritage Earlier in the year on May 11th, with some careful planning, a Boundary Stone embedded in a garden patio was moved to a place nearer the actual route of the walk. This leaves two other stranded Boundary Stones to preserve. One of them – Boundary Stone 18, is in use as a step in the garden of a private house. Due to its location and limited pavements on the nearby roads, there is no convenient place to re-erect this stone safely. So, it will be temporarily housed in the Maidenhead Heritage Centre. If plans come to fruition in late August, it will be removed from its present location, replaced with a sleeper, and trolleyed down the 1.7 miles to the Maidenhead Heritage Centre, where they are happy to look after it. Mace matters To help publicise the 90th anniversary of the 1934 placement of the Maidenhead Boundary Stones, a full-size facsimile of the 1604 Maidenhead Mace used on the previous 'Beating on the Bounds' has been made. This small 32.5 inch long mace was traditionally used to tap each boundary stone to keep the evil from our boundaries. 
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High-tech Boundary Walk raises thousands for charity
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At least 26 charities and community groups received a welcome cash boost thanks to the efforts of more than 400 participants in Sunday’s Rotary Boundary Walk. Together they raised more than £4,000 in sponsorship while the event raised another £2,500 for Rotary good causes.
A total of 418 walkers set out on the 13-mile circuit of the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough based on the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ which dates back to when the town was granted its charter in 1582. Another 36 people of all ages completed a shorter family route, which ensures the Boundary Walk is accessible to everyone. Town crier Chris Brown started the event by reading a proclamation to set the walkers on their way. Among those taking part were Zahra Bharmal and Farida Nagee who completed two circuits of the long route to clock up a full marathon. It is the second time Zahra had completed 26 miles at the event, after she lost out on a place in the London Marathon last year. Another stand-out walker was Hardev Singh Panesar, who this year completed his 29th Boundary Walk, raising almost £1,000 for charities in Maidenhead. He first did the walk in 1983 and over the years has raised about £50,000 for various charities, mainly the Thames Valley Adventure Playground in Taplow. The biggest team entry was a 49-strong contingent raising money for autism awareness while large groups were also fielded by The Link Foundation, Tuneless Choir, scouts, guides and fundraisers for research into Motor Neurone Disease. The event is organised jointly by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge and Rotary Club of Maidenhead which deployed scores of volunteers to man refreshment points and steward road crossings along the route, which started and ended in Boulters Lock Car Park in Lower Cookham Road. This year saw the introduction of a new app called Zuvolo which guided walkers around the route but also allowed organisers to track their progress. Event organiser Lisa Hunter said: “Rotary has been helping to develop and test the Zuvolo app. From a safety perspective we are now able to track walkers around the route which will help us make the event more sustainable into the future as we will be less dependent on stewards.” |
She was delighted with this year’s increased turnout. “Numbers have bounced right back after Covid. Thanks to everyone for taking part and to all the Rotarians and other volunteers for giving up their time to help,” she said.
Maidenhead MP Theresa May once again joined walkers for the start of the walk, along with deputy Royal Borough Mayor, Cllr Simon Bond, Rotary Club presidents John Hudson and James Ticehurst, and Rotary district governor Kate Hodges. Mrs May said: “It is a great local event and it’s wonderful to see so many people across all ages come together to enjoy the walk and also raising funds for good causes. It shows the best of Maidenhead.” |
For more information see www.maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk/boundary-walk.html
Interactive info board tells Boundary Walk story
Maidenhead Rotarians with the Boundary Walk information board at Boulters Lock