Couple take on final stage of pilgrimage walk to Rome for The Stars Appeal

For Julie and Tom Davis, it has been a less than straightforward challenge as they had to put the walk, which they started on February 15 2020, on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They were finally able to restart their journey, which follows the ancient pilgrim routes of St Swithun’s Way, the Pilgrims’ Way, and the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome, in March 2022.

The pair took a break at home in late July to escape the hot summer temperatures in northern Italy, resuming their walk in October to cross the Po Valley and Apennine mountains to reach the city of Lucca in November before returning to the UK to rest up.

On Thursday (March 2), they embarked on the final part of their walk to Rome, setting off from Lucca, Tuscany. They hope to arrive in Rome by March 27, where they will get their “Pilgrim Credentials” stamped at the Vatican.

Before heading off on the walk, Julie said: “When we started this walk it felt overwhelmingly long, and initially as if we were hardly making any progress. It is about 2,400km from Salisbury to Rome. We have now walked 2,006km with 414km left to go. That is about 83 per cent of the total distance done. We just have to walk through some more of Italy and into Vatican City, and it now feels like we may actually get there.”

The pair started the first part of their journey, from Salisbury to Winchester, in February 2020, battling against strong winds and torrential rain as Storm Dennis hit, and had planned to make it to Rome by the autumn.

When the pilgrimage was halted, Julie, who had just retired as Head of Legal Services, went back to work at Salisbury District Hospital, where she continues to work part-time, which she says “renewed my resolve to complete this pilgrimage and raise as much money as possible to support my wonderful colleagues who have continued to provide first-class care for patients throughout an exceedingly challenging time”.

The pilgrimage was part of Julie’s retirement plan and a way to get fit as well as supporting her colleagues at the Hospital.

Julie and Tom set off again in March 2022. Their journey, done in stages with rest breaks, has taken them through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. They walked 18 to 28km most days with some longer days but are taking it more slowly for this final stage. Julie said: “We’re feeling a mixture of anticipation about reaching Rome at last, and apprehension as to whether our bodies will hold out, at least until we get there!”

Explaining how they have stayed motivated, Julie said: “The “ping” of a message telling us someone has donated to the causes that motivated us to do this walk has raised our flagging spirits. With all the problems in the world at present, and the hardships that are being faced by many people here and elsewhere, it is still important to support our local NHS hospital and its wonderful, dedicated, hard-working staff so that they can continue to give the best of care when we need it.”

Julie and Tom are also raising money for the Wessex Rivers Trust and Salisbury Cathedral Choral Foundation. They have raised around £15,000 so far, with more donations pledged.

“We are very grateful to every one of our supporters for their generosity in supporting our chosen charities, and for their encouraging messages which have meant so much to us and kept us going when things got tough,” said Julie. “Although we wanted to do this pilgrimage anyway, it feels all the more worthwhile to be able to support the wonderful work that our local charities do.”

Helena Sinclair, of the Stars Appeal, added: “We want to wish Julie and Tom the best of luck on the final stage of their pilgrimage walk and thank them for supporting the Stars Appeal. The money they raise by doing this walking challenge will help us towards the £1million we aim to raise this year to fund projects supporting patients, their families, and staff at Salisbury District Hospital. If you’re inspired by Julie and Tom to get walking, then sign up to our Walk for Wards on Sunday, July 9 at Wilton House by visiting our website, starsappeal.org/event/walk-for-wards.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/salisburytorome2020starsappeal