"The only thing you get to keep is what you give away." The theme message of the Charles & Kathleen Dunnery Children’s Fund fired more than a hundred walkers to stride out round the shores of Cumbria’s wettest and most inaccessible lake. They came from all over Europe and the United States to get to know the territory that has inspired many of Dunnery’s most poignant songs and gather funds for Orgill School.
This year something was different and quite distinctly wrong. For the first time in living memory the walkers came back with dry socks from paths that were running torrents last year. There was no shortage of adventure, however, as groups edged down rocky paths under Angler’s Crag not always elegantly but safely - 1 out of 10 for style but 9 out of 10 for effort, as one young fan justly claimed.
Orgill teacher, Caroline Watson, who was one of nine teachers and kitchen staff, some with dogs, who took part in the walk, was in her element on a spectacular day. "It was wonderful to be part of a community pulling together," she declared, praising the store of good will and energy which had been unlocked by CKDCF in memory of Francis’s parents. The initiative, which will also be supported by a £250 donation from Egremont Today, will bring substantial benefits to the school, and its Children’s Council will help to decide which particular projects will benefit.