Briton walks 1,260 km for charity

Walkathons have become commonplace, somewhat shorn of their once cool quotient. But what is rare is a foreign national walking 42 kms every day to reach Bengaluru from Mumbai in 30 days, all this to help a charity for widows. 

Chris Parsons, 53, an international corporate lawyer from Britain, took part in the ‘Walk for Widows’ project to help Loomba Foundation—an international nonprofit working to empower widows and their children—raise Rs two crore. The money will be spent on 5,000 disadvantaged widows in India.

Parsons began the 1,260-km walk in Mumbai on January 10, went to Goa and Mangaluru by foot before reaching Bengaluru on February 8 (Sunday). “I am happy to have completed the walk successfully and help create awareness about the much-neglected social cause. The cause is close to my heart and I feel strongly about the plight of widows and their children in India. I hope the money raised through this initiative will help Loomba Foundation and its dedication to provide equal opportunities and basic human rights to the widows and their families,” Parsons said.

During the journey, the British lawyer wrote a daily blog on the Loomba Foundation website, sharing his experiences. Parsons said his ‘Walk for Widows’ had received support from global leaders like Cherie Blair (wife of former UK prime minister Tony Blair), Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, English businessman Sir Richard Branson, West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle, among others.

According to Parsons, in 2011, he cycled from London to Gibraltar, riding through France and Spain, to raise $200,000 for the same NGO.

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Kagodu Thimmappa, honoured him on Tuesday for his dedication and successful walk.