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This book, published by Footline Press, tells the charming story of the Strollerthon, a wonderful event in which over 12 years from 1990 to 2001, some 130,000 walkers raised £4 million for children’s charities, especially One Small Step and Save the Children.
In 1990, Mike Butler of One Small Step had the bright idea of a 10-mile walk, originally called the London Walkathon, to raise money for a gait laboratory at Guy’s Hospital for children with cerebral palsy. Nearly 5,000 walkers took part, among them representatives of chocolate manufacturer Cadbury, whose offer to sponsor and rename subsequent events Cadbury’s Strollerthon was gratefully accepted. The proceeds were then shared with Save the Children, one of the charities that Cadbury supported.
Under the Cadbury banner, and with a new route each year (designed by Colin Saunders), the number of walkers rose to almost 20,000, making it by far the largest charity walk at that time. From 1998 to 2001 the event became the Save the Children Strollerthon, except in 2000, when as the Millennium Bridge Walk it launched the notorious ‘wobbly bridge‘!
The book describes in detail how the event was conceived, developed and organised, with often humorous reminiscences from Mike Butler, Colin Saunders and many others who were involved. The event was made so successful with the support of many celebrities and volunteers, whose names are recorded in the book.