On Saturday 19th October, nine intrepid explorers volunteered to walk the South Downs Way, from Southease to Eastbourne to raise money and awareness for Facial Palsy.
The first thing we had to decide on was whether we were going to trek 25km or take on 29km via the Seven Sisters. We never like an easy challenge and so we were on for the 29km. The weather to start with was pretty “grim” to say the least (a bit like last year’s challenge!)

Wind, rain and into the clouds we went…we all hoped the weather wouldn’t stay like this…

Thankfully it wasn’t too long before the sun started to come out.

By the time we got to Alfriston, we were already on the look out for the nearest Public House for a liquid refreshment…but we resisted as were only 13km into the day and another 16km to go!

Our guide for the day, Andy was good at making each stage of the trek sound not too far nor tricky…little did we know…next stop Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters…

By now the weather was truly great, along with an amazing view of the South Coast. Feet and legs were starting to tire due to the sheer incline ascent and descent over each of the Seven Sisters but we all kept smiling, fuelled by the thought of a takeaway for dinner when back home!

We finally got to Beachy Head and then followed the trail to the finish line in Eastbourne. It was truly a fun and challenging event and some of us did even manage to quickly refuel with a pint whilst waiting for a couple of stragglers on the final ascent towards Beachy Head. A total of 44,600 steps per person and just under 31km by the time we all got back to our ride home.

At the time of writing, Sayvol has managed to raise a tremendous £3,705.00 + £718.75 Gift Aid, of which we would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generosity and support in achieving this goal. This will go a long way to support Facial Palsy UK.
Facial Palsy UK provides an essential service to those affected by facial palsy, through the provision of information and support, promotion of best practice; and engagement in high quality research. There are more than 50 different causes of facial palsy and many people struggle to get help.
We would also like to thank all of our Sayvol participants, being George White, Will Harris, Joel Graves, Josh Myhill, Kevan Hickey, Lance King, Jamie Hendle, Jon Baileff and Les White for taking part.
Should you wish to show your support for Sayvol and Facial Palsy, you can donate via the link below:

Sayvol Team is fundraising for Facial Palsy UK