Thousands of people are expected to take part in the inaugural Walk For All - Yorkshire Dales Walking Festival, which will take place around Settle this summer, in the stunning countryside where Jane and husband Mike used to explore.
In an exclusive interview with the Yorkshire Post, Mr Tomlinson, 49, says he was inspired to come up with the idea for the festival after walking above Settle in the same spot where Jane had suffered crippling chest pains in 2000 – it was the first time he had noticed something was wrong and she was diagnosed with terminal cancer just four months later.
«If Jane was here now, this would be the thing she would be most excited about, out of everything we have done for the appeal», he said. «The plan has always been to put on a mass participation walk and what better setting is there than Settle and the Yorkshire Dales. Jane and I often used to escape the city and jump on the train out to Settle for the day and enjoy a day of exploring the Dales. This has been two years in the planning and there are no events like this in the country.”
The Walk For All Festival, which will take place on August 14 and is being backed by the Yorkshire Post as media partner, features three routes, covering 26 miles, 14 miles and a five-mile option. There is also a four-and-a-half-mile route accessible for people in wheelchairs.
It follows on from the massively successful Run For All events and the recently launched Swim For All, launched as a legacy for Jane, who died in 2007 after a heroic seven-year battle against cancer. She notched up a staggering tally of fundraising feats, raising £1.85m for charity.
Source: Yorkshire Post- 22th March 2011
Jane’s train marks launch of Dales walk
A SPECIALLY branded train, dedicated to the memory of Jane Tomlinson, ferried a crowd into the Yorkshire Dales to mark the launch of the new Walk For All festival.
Northern Rail bosses unveiled the new Jane Tomlinson train at Leeds Station yesterday before transporting her husband Mike, television presenter Clare Balding and a host of charity backers to Settle, where the Yorkshire Dales Walking Festival will be based in the summer.
The rail firm is one of the sponsors of the new event and will be scheduling extra services to get walkers to and from Settle on August 14, with all fees going to the Jane Tomlinson Appeal which is aiming to raise £5m.
Ms Balding, a friend of the family who walked with Mr Tomlinson, Jane, and their 13-year-old son Steven through the Dales in 2005, is also backing the new event.
“It will be a wonderful event and I am delighted to lend my support,” she said. “The Dales is right up there as one of the most beautiful places in Britain and I hope this will be the trigger for getting more people to explore up there.”
Mr Tomlinson, 49, who grew up in Settle and would often escape to the Dales with Jane for a day’s walking, says the event – which features four routes ranging from 26 miles to four-and-a-half miles – would be closest to her heart out of all the fundraising activities.
“It was an absolutely beautiful day,” he added. “If it is half as nice as this for the festival, it will be a real treat.
“It is very strange to see Jane’s name on the side of the same train we used to get – it is not something I ever expected.”
The crowd were met at Settle train station by Mr Tomlinson’s 77-year-old mother Alice, who still lives in the town. “I thought I was just going to meet Michael, so it was a shock to see all the commotion”, she said.
Source: Yorkshire Post- 23th March 2011
Official Website: http://walkforall.com/
Jane’s train marks launch of Dales walk
A SPECIALLY branded train, dedicated to the memory of Jane Tomlinson, ferried a crowd into the Yorkshire Dales to mark the launch of the new Walk For All festival.
Northern Rail bosses unveiled the new Jane Tomlinson train at Leeds Station yesterday before transporting her husband Mike, television presenter Clare Balding and a host of charity backers to Settle, where the Yorkshire Dales Walking Festival will be based in the summer.
Ms Balding, a friend of the family who walked with Mr Tomlinson, Jane, and their 13-year-old son Steven through the Dales in 2005, is also backing the new event.
“It will be a wonderful event and I am delighted to lend my support,” she said. “The Dales is right up there as one of the most beautiful places in Britain and I hope this will be the trigger for getting more people to explore up there.”
Mr Tomlinson, 49, who grew up in Settle and would often escape to the Dales with Jane for a day’s walking, says the event – which features four routes ranging from 26 miles to four-and-a-half miles – would be closest to her heart out of all the fundraising activities.
“It was an absolutely beautiful day,” he added. “If it is half as nice as this for the festival, it will be a real treat.
“It is very strange to see Jane’s name on the side of the same train we used to get – it is not something I ever expected.”
The crowd were met at Settle train station by Mr Tomlinson’s 77-year-old mother Alice, who still lives in the town. “I thought I was just going to meet Michael, so it was a shock to see all the commotion”, she said.
Official Website: http://walkforall.com/
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