The organisers of Maidenhead’s annual Rotary Boundary Walk have honoured one of the event’s most dedicated supporters.

For 15 years Brenda has opened her riverside garden in Bray to be the landing stage for walkers ferried across the River Thames as they complete the 13-mile fundraising walk around the town.

The ferry is manned by Maidenhead Sea Cadets from TS Iron Duke and without their help and the support of Brenda the river crossing would not be possible. Her assistance has ensured the safe landing of thousands of walkers as they disembark from the cadets’ boats.

On Saturday Brenda was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of her contribution by Rotarian Eddie Piekut and Leading Cadet Krish from TS Iron Duke.

Chair of the sea cadets Andrew Adamson said: “Brenda has been our guardian angel. Her commitment over the past 15 years has been vital for the success of the Boundary Walk. Her landing spot in Bray and the warmth of her hospitality have made the Thames crossing a memorable experience for walkers.”

Eddie added: “Presenting Brenda with a Certificate of Appreciation is a great honour. We are delighted to collaborate with Brenda and the sea cadets. Their support has made the ferry crossing of the Thames a highlight of the Boundary Walk. It’s with pride that we jointly present Brenda with this certificate.”

The Boundary Walk is a fantastic way to raise money for your favourite good cause. Taking place this year on Sunday, October 1, the event sees hundreds of walkers raising thousands of pounds for their chosen charities as they retrace the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough.

Organised by the Rotary Clubs of Maidenhead Bridge and Maidenhead, it is a ready-made fundraiser. The route is fully signposted and marshalled by Rotarians and all participants have to do is register, raise sponsorship and complete the walk.
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To register for this year’s walk see: www.maidenheadbridgerotary.org.uk/boundary-walk.html

A new interactive information board about one of Maidenhead’s best loved community events has been unveiled.
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It is packed with information about Maidenhead Boundary Walk, a sponsored walk run every October by Rotary that sees hundreds of people taking part to raise money for charity.

Positioned next to Boulters Lock, near the start of the 13-mile walk, the information board features a map of the route, the history of the event, and interactive QR codes linking to the Boundary Walk website and a downloadable version of the map.

The Boundary Walk commemorates the centuries-old tradition of ‘Beating the Bounds’, in which the Mayor annually toured the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough, and the board shows where historic boundary stones can still be found. The tradition was revived in its current form by Rotary and the East Berks Ramblers in 1982.

The information board was produced by Eddie Piekut of Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club as part of a Royal Borough innovation project.

He said: “The Boundary Walk is a historical asset for Maidenhead and something to celebrate. We hope the information board will be a point of interest for residents and help promote the walk route as a wellbeing activity.”

On its reverse, the board features a map of the old Maidenhead Borough and information about organisations like the Ramblers and Maidenhead Civic Society which have been involved in the event over the years.
Eddie said the Royal Borough plans to refurbish some of the boundary stones and route signage to improve year-round access.

This year’s Boundary Walk, which takes place on Sunday, October 1, will mark 50 years since the last official ‘Beating of the Bounds’ led by then mayor Euphemia Underhill in 1973.
To sign up for this year’s walk see www.boundarywalk.org.uk

Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.

We hope you enjoy reading it and if you, or anyone you know, would like to get involved with any of our volunteering opportunities, or attend one of our meetings, please do get in touch; and feel free to share our newsletter with others too.

You're Invited!
If you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming events to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. 
 
Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved.  It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community.

THE chance to step out in aid of your favourite good cause is being offered by the organisers of this year’s Maidenhead Rotary Boundary Walk.

Taking place on Sunday, October 2, the annual event sees hundreds of walkers raising thousands of pounds for their chosen charities as they retrace the route of the old Maidenhead Borough.

Organised by the Rotary Clubs of Maidenhead Bridge and Maidenhead, the event is a ready-made fundraiser. The route is fully signposted and marshalled by Rotarians and all participants have to do is register, raise sponsorship and complete the walk.

The traditional route is 13.1 miles but a new 2.5-mile ‘family route’ has been introduced this year to ensure the event is open to everyone.

Eddie Piekut from the organising team said: “We invite everyone to join us on October 2 to make this year’s Maidenhead Boundary Walk the best year ever with a record-breaking number of walkers. 

“It’s open to walkers of all ages and abilities, individuals, groups or families. It’s a great opportunity to take part in a wonderful local tradition, have some fun, and raise much needed money for your chosen causes. 

 “Both routes start and finish at Boulters Lock car park. The traditional route takes you through some of the loveliest countryside around Maidenhead, while the new family walk is a picturesque stroll round Boulters Island, crossing the river to the Taplow side before heading back.”

The Boundary Walk celebrates the centuries-old tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ which marked the creation of the original Borough of Maidenhead in 1582. Each year the Mayor would get beaters to drive square-headed nails into posts and walls along the boundary route, each bearing his initials.

By 1934 the boundary was marked by stones – many of which can still be seen today – and during the walk the mayor would tap each one with the ceremonial mace to ‘reinforce’ the boundary. The last official ‘beating the bounds’ was in 1973 but was resurrected as the Boundary Walk in 1982 to mark the 400th anniversary of the borough and became an annual fundraising event.

There is a registration fee to take part, which covers the costs of running the event, but participants keep 100 per cent of the sponsorship they raise. Everyone who completes the walk gets a certificate.

The event is open to everyone, though under-16s must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Entry fees for the traditional walk are £5 for adults and £1 for children. For the family route the cost is £3 for adults and £1 for children.
Registration for group of 15 or more is just £20 for the traditional walk and £10 for the family walk, if you register in advance by September 9. 

​We are excited to release the second edition of our club newsletter for this Rotary Year.  ​It is packed full of updates and articles on all the amazing things we've been doing over the past couple of months and a few details of upcoming events (now we’re allowed out in public again!).

​You're Invited!
If you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming events to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved.  It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community.
 
Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.
 
We hope you enjoy reading it and if you, or anyone you know, would like to get involved with any of our volunteering opportunities, or attend one of our meetings, please do get in touch; and feel free to share our newsletter with others too.

Almost £15,000 was raised for 39 different charities by walkers taking part in the 40th Rotary Club Boundary Walk on Sunday.
 
More than 350 participants stepped out in aid of their favourite causes for the annual sponsored walk. While most completed the traditional 13-mile circular route around the town, others followed a new 5km family route introduced this year to ensure the event was accessible to walkers of all ages and abilities.
 
The highest single amount of sponsorship was £2,500, raised by a 55-strong team led by Rotarian Gurdip Bahra in aid of the Makindhu Dental Project, which provides vital dentistry to a rural community in Kenya.
 
The event is based on the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’, a walk around the boundary of the old Maidenhead borough which dates back to the town being given its charter in 1582.
 
It is organised jointly by the Rotary Club of Maidenhead and Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge which deployed nearly 60 volunteers to man checkpoints and marshal road crossings along the route.

​This year saw the Boundary Walk return to business as usual after being held in a special ‘bubble’ format last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

​Event chairman Jim Howles said: “Despite the number of walkers being down, which we think is due to people still being cautious after lockdown, the amount raised for good causes was absolutely fantastic and up there with some of our busiest years.”

Fellow organiser Lisa Hunter added: “It was really wonderful to be back for our 40th anniversary and to see the happy, smiling faces of those taking part.”

Maidenhead MP Theresa May once again joined walkers for the start of the walk, along with Royal Borough Mayor, Cllr John Story, and Rotary district governor Karen Eveleigh.
 
Mrs May said: “It’s great to see the Boundary Walk back to normal. It is such an important feature of the Maidenhead year. It’s lovely to see so many people coming along and participating.  It’s really important that people are out today raising money for charities as they have found it really difficult during the pandemic as most of their fundraising events have not been able to take place.”

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There’s still time to sign up for the 40th anniversary Boundary Walk next month. But did you know the popular charity fundraiser has its roots in a much older local tradition?

Hundreds of walkers are expected to be stepping out to raise money for their favourite good causes when they take part in the Rotary Boundary Walk. The event, on Sunday, October 3, has become one of the town’s biggest charity fundraisers and this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the addition of a new 5km route for families.

But walking the main 13-mile route following the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough harks back to the very origins of Maidenhead itself and the granting of a ‘Charter of Incorporation’ which brought the Borough of Maidenhead into being in 1582.

It became a tradition for the Mayor to get beaters to drive square-headed nails into posts and walls along the boundary route, each bearing his initials on its head. So was born the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’.

By 1934 the boundary of the borough was marked by stones – many of which can still be seen today – and during the walk the mayor would tap each one with the ceremonial mace to ‘reinforce’ the boundary. The last official ‘beating the bounds’ was in 1973, when Euphemia Underhill was Mayor.

But in 1982 the Boundary Walk as we know it today was resurrected by Rotary and the East Berkshire Ramblers to help mark the 400th anniversary of the granting of the charter and became an annual fundraising event.

Originally held on the last Sunday of September, the date was changed to the first Sunday in October as it clashed with Harvest Festival church services. While other changes over the years have included a shift to online booking and sponsorship, the event remains at its heart an opportunity for people to walk in aid of their chosen charities.

Now run as a joint project by Maidenhead and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Clubs, the Boundary Walk will be back to normal in October after being held in a ‘bubble’ format last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Boundary Walk chair Jim Howles said: “We are delighted the Boundary Walk is back in its usual format this year. So, individuals, groups and families are all invited to take part in this little bit of Maidenhead’s history and at the same time raise money for their chosen causes.”

Both routes start and finish at Boulters Lock car park and follow a fully signposted path with checkpoints manned by Rotary marshals. The family route is a nice circular stroll via Guards Club Park, Oldacres and the A4.

There is a registration fee to take part which covers administration costs including route maps and completion certificates. All sponsorship raised goes to the walker’s chosen charity.

For more details and to register see www.boundarywalk.org.uk

This year’s Rotary Boundary Walk, which took place in a new ‘Bubble’ format due to Covid-19 restrictions, has been declared a resounding success by organisers.

Nearly 200 people took part in the 12-mile charity sponsored walk over three weeks in October, raising more than £7,000 for a range of good causes.

The event takes its name from the tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ - an annual walk around the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough – and follows the same route.

Usually it sees about 600 participants setting out on a single Sunday in October to walk a fully marshalled route with checkpoints and road crossings manned by Rotarians.

But this year, due to social distancing rules, walkers were given a three-week window to complete a non-marshalled route in ‘bubbles’ of up to six people, such as families or charity groups.

“We were absolutely delighted with how the ‘Bubble’ format worked,” said organising committee chairman Jim Howles. “With the Boundary Walk impossible to run in the normal way, having 200 people still take part and raise so much money for charity in such a difficult year is a fantastic result.

“Lots of charities rely on it as a major fundraiser and we were determined to find a way for it to go ahead despite the restrictions.

“We’d like to say a huge thank-you to all the walkers who took part and to the Louis Baylis Trust and Shanly Foundation for their support.”

The Boundary Walk is jointly organised by Maidenhead Rotary Club and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club. They hope that by next year it will be able to return in its usual format but are thinking about introducing a longer window for walkers who are unable to take part in the main event.

​You're Invited!
​Remember, if you're not a member of the club yet, then we’d also like to extend an invite to you and your friends to join us at one of our fun upcoming meetups to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved.  Remember we’re a very relaxed, flexible and friendly club so you don’t have to commit huge amounts of time to get involved.  It’s a great way to meet new people, try out new activities and give something back to the local community. Check out the list of upcoming events on the back page of the newsletter, if you’d like to join us get in touch today.

Maidenhead Boundary Walk – one of the town’s most important charity fundraising events - will be going ahead in a new ‘Bubble’ format due to Covid-19 restrictions, organisers have announced.
 
The Rotary-run sponsored walk usually sees hundreds of walkers tracing the boundary of the old Maidenhead Borough on a single Sunday in October.
 
But this year, thanks to social distancing rules, things will be a bit different.
 
Instead participants can walk any time during a three-week period from Sunday, October 4 to Sunday, October 25, either on their own or in ‘bubbles’ such as families or charity groups.
 
They can do all or just part of the 12-mile route, which is already clearly signposted, starting and finishing at any point along the way. And instead of the traditional method of signing in at marshalled checkpoints to get their completion certificates, walkers will be asked to fill out a post-walk form and take photos at key locations along the way.
 
Everyone taking part is urged to raise sponsorship, and organisers say the Bubble Boundary Walk is the perfect opportunity for charities to replace vital funding lost due to Covid-19.
 
Organising committee chairman Jim Howles said: “We were determined to find a way for the Boundary Walk to go ahead despite Covid-19 The ‘Bubble’ format means charities and community groups will still be able to raise much-needed funds at a time when so many are in desperate straits because of the impact of the lockdown.
 
“The Bubble Boundary Walk is a ready-made sponsored event. Charities just need to mobilise their supporters to raise sponsorship money and walk the route – it’s that simple. It’s open to walkers of all ages and abilities and after months of lockdown it’s the chance to get out into the fresh air for a good cause.”
 
There is a registration fee - £2.50 for adults, £1 for children and £15 for groups of 15 or more – which covers admin costs including route maps and completion certificates. All sponsorship raised goes to the walker’s chosen charity.
 
The event, which is jointly organised by Maidenhead Rotary Club and Maidenhead Bridge Rotary Club, is also supported by the Louis Baylis (Maidenhead Advertiser) Charitable Trust and the Shanly Foundation.
 
Full details about the walk and how to register can be found at www.boundarywalk.org.uk