Cape Town - The Cape Town Big Walk (CTBW) will be 20 years old in 2020.
The walk will begin next year on March 22 and the launch of the WholeSun Bread Cape Town Big Walk in partnership with Double O, acknowledged all partners that participated in the journey since 2000 at an event last night.
The 20th big walk theme will focus on the call to end gender-based violence.
CTBW chairperson Dr Elias Parker said the big walk event has been accredited as the third largest social sporting event on the Cape Town social calendar.
The walk has also become the largest sporting event of its kind in the country.
“A small group of friends coming up with this idea to run a big walk to raise funds for the Academia Library and also being able to commemorate our 20th year is truly humbling,” said Parker.
He said they were all volunteers that had no formal experience with hosting an event.
The Cape Town Big Walk turns 20 next year, which a theme dedicated to highlighting the issue of gender-based violence. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency(ANA)
They soon learnt that their community was truly talented and resourceful which kept them going for all the years.
The first event reached a record number of 7000 walkers in the growing stages.
The walk has now grown over the years and successfully surpassed the 20000 entry mark by its sixth-year in 2006.
Spokesperson for WholeSun Bread Shaboodien Roomaney said: “As a business that is entrenched in the community, we felt that it was imperative for us to get behind this event because we shared the same goals such as healthy living, social cohesion and education.”
Roomaney said they believe the big walk was a vehicle to create a literate community, because the donations went towards a library.
This will be their third year as a title sponsor and remain proud
of the association shared with this event.
Chief executive of the Children’s Hospital Chantel Cooper said: “The Cape Town Big Walk has been
supporting the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Hospital Trust and have made a difference in the lives of ill and injured children through prioritised projects.
“R1 931 133 had already been donated.”
