Essex Community Foundation

Radley Troy's Fundraising Page - The Charlie Watkins Foundation

Radley Troy

Radley Troy

My Story

Hi, im planning to walk 2,650 miles across the USA, here is why.

About the Charlie Watkins Foundation (CWF)

The CWF was established following the heart breaking loss of Charlie Watkins when he took his own life in 2017. The amazing dedication and work of Tim (Charlie's father) and Harry (Charlie's brother) has created an organisation that supports initiatives whose primary focus is to assist young people in overcoming their challenges and to improve their mental health. Following the success of “Chat with Charlie”, one of their earliest initiatives, they have looked to extend their support to other projects, both local and national.

The CWF is currently in working partnerships with The Essex Community Foundation, YES, Student Minds and the Charlie Waller Trust. Through these partnerships the CWF is able to support initiatives making a real difference in the Essex community and at universities across the country. Student Minds, for example, supports universities and students’ unions, working in collaboration with their students to create strategies that consider mental health and wellbeing across every aspect of the university experience, a cause that I am sure will be close to the hearts of everyone who knew Charlie at York University.    

I really encourage you to take a look at the CWF website for even more information on the fantastic work being done.

Why the Charlie Watkins Foundation

Organisations like the CWF are instrumental in providing support to those that need it and effecting positive change in the systems and network of support available to people struggling with their mental health. Their work still relies upon breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly in men, and encouraging people to speak openly and honestly when they are struggling.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am no wordsmith and that I struggle at the best of times to express myself coherently when it comes to emotions. However in the spirit of trying to break this stigma, I thought I would write a little about why the CWF and the work they do means a lot to me.

Some people will leave a lasting impression on your life, even if you know them for only a short time. Charlie was one of these people. I truly miss him and there is still a deep sadness in the knowledge that I can’t share any more time with him. Despite this Charlie leaves behind a legacy of overwhelming happiness, kindness and friendship.

Charlie always had a trademark grin seemingly glued onto his face and I genuinely haven’t met a friendlier person. I really cannot picture his face without that big grin. He was a perpetually bubbly presence and I can still hear him chuckling away now, normally at something he had done. Like the time he strained his boiling pasta in the middle of the kitchen, not fathoming that the water would spill straight out of the colander. That one still makes me laugh now and in all fairness we were only 18 and freshly launched into university. The paint that is still splattered on my bike, following a day of painting Charlie’s UYSU campaign signs, is another nice reminder of the somewhat chaotic nature of Charlie’s friendship. There was rarely a dull moment! A naturally gifted sportsman Charlie could turn up to the James College Rugby Club, having spent most of the year training with lacrosse, and immediately light up the changing room or the social after a game with some top quality chat. A true testament to his warmth and friendliness.

I learnt some important lessons from Charlie, ultimately under the hardest circumstances I could have imagined. People are remarkably resilient and so you may not always know when someone is having a hard time. Even when you do know, it can be incredibly hard to know what to do or say. From personal experience it can feel easier to hide emotions away than to express them. So in Charlie's memory, every day I try to get better at being considerate of how the people around me feel and better at expressing my own emotions when I am struggling. 

What your donation will mean to the foundation

When I contacted the CWF about the possibility of raising money, Tim and Harry immediately got in touch to have a chat. I really had no idea how to approach the fundraising target but with their help we have set out to support, amongst other things, the foundations partnership with the Youth Enquiry Service (YES). 

Thought the partnership with YES the CWF hopes to provide School Navigators into every secondary school in Essex. The Navigators offer face-to-face support to students in schools and where young people are too anxious to attend school, home visits to families are included so they do not miss out on support and help.

Of course if we are able to exceed the fundraising target all of the funds will be used to support the full range of amazing support services that the CWF are engaged with.

The Challenge - The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

Having done a couple of 6-8 day hiking trips in Europe and the UK the next logical step was to take on a 2,650 mile, 5 month, self-supported, thru-hike of the PCT. The route spans from the Mexican border in California and finishes on the Washington border with Canada, typically taking 150 days to complete.

This is an idea that has been forming in my mind for some time and so whilst it is something that I truly want to do it also represents a fantastic opportunity to raise support and awareness for the CWF, a cause close to my heart.

Assuming I am not eaten by a bear or tuned into a scientologist (as my mother seems to be most worried about) you can follow my progress on the Instagram pages @radleygoeswalkabout or @charliewatkinsfoundation where I hope to be providing short weekly updates. You can also track my exact location by following the below link to my Garmin tracker.

Don’t worry if I’ve stopped moving..... I’m probably having a beer in the sun and resting my feet. Apologies to my colleagues for rubbing that one in.

https://eur-share.explore.garmin.com/V5TM5

In order to complete this challenge before heavy snowfall hits Washington State I will need to average a minimum of 17.5 miles walking a day. I will be carrying all of the equipment that I will need to camp and survive along the route and I will be periodically passing through or dropping into towns to resupply on food and fuel.

If you are interested (I’m not expecting many of you to be) in what I will be carrying, you can check out my full gear list here. Before food, water and any other consumables my kit will weigh 7kg. I expect that total pack weight will fluctuate between 10kg and 15kg (so not too bad really) along the trail depending on water availability and days between resupply points.

I have tried to set out a rough itinerary for my trip but it is impossible to plan every element given the sheer distance and time that will be covered.  The list represents key milestones along the trip that I will need to hit in order to finish in time.

Mile 0 – 16th May 2023 – Campo, Mexican border with Californian

Mile 179.4 – Around 26th May – Idyllwild, the first place I may encounter heavy snow when moving into the San Jacinto Mountains.

Mile 702 – Around 30th June – Kennedy Meadows, The end of the ‘dessert’ stage and the start of the high sierras where I hope to climb Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the USA (Excluding Alaska).

Mile 1,691.7 – Early to mid-August – The California/Oregon border. Roughly 100 days should have passed by the time I cross into Oregon

Mile 2,146.9 – Late August Early September – The Oregon Washington border. Typically Oregon is the shortest section of the hike and the quickest state to pass through. Taking around 20 days on average.

Mile 2,661.4 – 30th September target- The finish line.

The reality is that I won’t be able to walk every mile of the trail. Currently California has seen record snow and so some sections of the trail remain closed (plenty of time for that to melt though). Forest fires will also close sections of the trail to me. In these instances there may be alternative routes or I may have to hitchhike around the closure and pick up the trail on the other side.

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for your support and please do get in touch if you have any questions about the CWF and their work or about my trip.

104%

Funded

  • Target
    £7,500
  • Raised so far
    £7,820
  • Number of donors
    95

My Story

Hi, im planning to walk 2,650 miles across the USA, here is why.

About the Charlie Watkins Foundation (CWF)

The CWF was established following the heart breaking loss of Charlie Watkins when he took his own life in 2017. The amazing dedication and work of Tim (Charlie's father) and Harry (Charlie's brother) has created an organisation that supports initiatives whose primary focus is to assist young people in overcoming their challenges and to improve their mental health. Following the success of “Chat with Charlie”, one of their earliest initiatives, they have looked to extend their support to other projects, both local and national.

The CWF is currently in working partnerships with The Essex Community Foundation, YES, Student Minds and the Charlie Waller Trust. Through these partnerships the CWF is able to support initiatives making a real difference in the Essex community and at universities across the country. Student Minds, for example, supports universities and students’ unions, working in collaboration with their students to create strategies that consider mental health and wellbeing across every aspect of the university experience, a cause that I am sure will be close to the hearts of everyone who knew Charlie at York University.    

I really encourage you to take a look at the CWF website for even more information on the fantastic work being done.

Why the Charlie Watkins Foundation

Organisations like the CWF are instrumental in providing support to those that need it and effecting positive change in the systems and network of support available to people struggling with their mental health. Their work still relies upon breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, particularly in men, and encouraging people to speak openly and honestly when they are struggling.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am no wordsmith and that I struggle at the best of times to express myself coherently when it comes to emotions. However in the spirit of trying to break this stigma, I thought I would write a little about why the CWF and the work they do means a lot to me.

Some people will leave a lasting impression on your life, even if you know them for only a short time. Charlie was one of these people. I truly miss him and there is still a deep sadness in the knowledge that I can’t share any more time with him. Despite this Charlie leaves behind a legacy of overwhelming happiness, kindness and friendship.

Charlie always had a trademark grin seemingly glued onto his face and I genuinely haven’t met a friendlier person. I really cannot picture his face without that big grin. He was a perpetually bubbly presence and I can still hear him chuckling away now, normally at something he had done. Like the time he strained his boiling pasta in the middle of the kitchen, not fathoming that the water would spill straight out of the colander. That one still makes me laugh now and in all fairness we were only 18 and freshly launched into university. The paint that is still splattered on my bike, following a day of painting Charlie’s UYSU campaign signs, is another nice reminder of the somewhat chaotic nature of Charlie’s friendship. There was rarely a dull moment! A naturally gifted sportsman Charlie could turn up to the James College Rugby Club, having spent most of the year training with lacrosse, and immediately light up the changing room or the social after a game with some top quality chat. A true testament to his warmth and friendliness.

I learnt some important lessons from Charlie, ultimately under the hardest circumstances I could have imagined. People are remarkably resilient and so you may not always know when someone is having a hard time. Even when you do know, it can be incredibly hard to know what to do or say. From personal experience it can feel easier to hide emotions away than to express them. So in Charlie's memory, every day I try to get better at being considerate of how the people around me feel and better at expressing my own emotions when I am struggling. 

What your donation will mean to the foundation

When I contacted the CWF about the possibility of raising money, Tim and Harry immediately got in touch to have a chat. I really had no idea how to approach the fundraising target but with their help we have set out to support, amongst other things, the foundations partnership with the Youth Enquiry Service (YES). 

Thought the partnership with YES the CWF hopes to provide School Navigators into every secondary school in Essex. The Navigators offer face-to-face support to students in schools and where young people are too anxious to attend school, home visits to families are included so they do not miss out on support and help.

Of course if we are able to exceed the fundraising target all of the funds will be used to support the full range of amazing support services that the CWF are engaged with.

The Challenge - The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

Having done a couple of 6-8 day hiking trips in Europe and the UK the next logical step was to take on a 2,650 mile, 5 month, self-supported, thru-hike of the PCT. The route spans from the Mexican border in California and finishes on the Washington border with Canada, typically taking 150 days to complete.

This is an idea that has been forming in my mind for some time and so whilst it is something that I truly want to do it also represents a fantastic opportunity to raise support and awareness for the CWF, a cause close to my heart.

Assuming I am not eaten by a bear or tuned into a scientologist (as my mother seems to be most worried about) you can follow my progress on the Instagram pages @radleygoeswalkabout or @charliewatkinsfoundation where I hope to be providing short weekly updates. You can also track my exact location by following the below link to my Garmin tracker.

Don’t worry if I’ve stopped moving..... I’m probably having a beer in the sun and resting my feet. Apologies to my colleagues for rubbing that one in.

https://eur-share.explore.garmin.com/V5TM5

In order to complete this challenge before heavy snowfall hits Washington State I will need to average a minimum of 17.5 miles walking a day. I will be carrying all of the equipment that I will need to camp and survive along the route and I will be periodically passing through or dropping into towns to resupply on food and fuel.

If you are interested (I’m not expecting many of you to be) in what I will be carrying, you can check out my full gear list here. Before food, water and any other consumables my kit will weigh 7kg. I expect that total pack weight will fluctuate between 10kg and 15kg (so not too bad really) along the trail depending on water availability and days between resupply points.

I have tried to set out a rough itinerary for my trip but it is impossible to plan every element given the sheer distance and time that will be covered.  The list represents key milestones along the trip that I will need to hit in order to finish in time.

Mile 0 – 16th May 2023 – Campo, Mexican border with Californian

Mile 179.4 – Around 26th May – Idyllwild, the first place I may encounter heavy snow when moving into the San Jacinto Mountains.

Mile 702 – Around 30th June – Kennedy Meadows, The end of the ‘dessert’ stage and the start of the high sierras where I hope to climb Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the USA (Excluding Alaska).

Mile 1,691.7 – Early to mid-August – The California/Oregon border. Roughly 100 days should have passed by the time I cross into Oregon

Mile 2,146.9 – Late August Early September – The Oregon Washington border. Typically Oregon is the shortest section of the hike and the quickest state to pass through. Taking around 20 days on average.

Mile 2,661.4 – 30th September target- The finish line.

The reality is that I won’t be able to walk every mile of the trail. Currently California has seen record snow and so some sections of the trail remain closed (plenty of time for that to melt though). Forest fires will also close sections of the trail to me. In these instances there may be alternative routes or I may have to hitchhike around the closure and pick up the trail on the other side.

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for your support and please do get in touch if you have any questions about the CWF and their work or about my trip.

Radley Troy is fundraising towards