NEARLY 23,000 students in the West Midlands, including Coventry schools are participating in the big lent walk challenge.
Pupils from All Souls RC Primary School and St John Fisher Catholic Primary School are taking part in the CAFOD’s walk starting today (Ash Wednesday).
The aim of the walk is to raise over £300,000 to support the charity’s work in helping people overcome poverty.
Walkers across the region are getting ready with purple laces to walk 200km over the 40 days of lent, starting on Ash Wednesday, February, 14.
Neil Roper, Fundraising Events Manager at CAFOD, said: “We know that Lent arrives earlier this year, but taking on the Big Lent Walk Challenge not only promotes a healthier lifestyle, it also contributes to the fight against global poverty.
“Last year we saw thousands of walkers from parishes and schools taking part in the Big Lent Walk across the country, raising much-needed funds for families combating poverty.
“This year, we’re rallying even more participants to expand our reach to more communities overseas and collectively challenge poverty to take a hike.
“Embarking on a 200km journey might seem daunting, but it’s manageable – a 5km walk per day over the 40 days of Lent.”
CAFOD’s are raising cash to enable local aid workers to reach vulnerable families for vital support such as £16 could buy a life jacket to keep a fisherman in Liberia safe and £375 could buy tables for the community to use to fillet their fish.
