Walk the South Devon 60 for Young Carers

• Walk the 60 miles of the Glorious AONB Coastline on the South West Coast Path National Trail
• Fund 60 local young carers to enjoy coastal respite days
• Celebrate 60 Years of the South Devon AONB

What is the [email protected] Challenge?

There are 60 miles of glorious coastline in South Devon AONB and we challenge you to walk the 60 miles, along the South West Coast Path, to mark our 60^th year!

[email protected] is a walking challenge with the best of views, the best of local food and drink and the best of company! It can be done entirely at your own pace, in your own time, and with your choice of walking buddy!

Who are we raising money for?

We are fundraising to take 60 young carers for days out on the beautiful coast of South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty during summer 2021 to picnic, explore, play and have a go at activities including canoeing, surfing and snorkelling.

They will have a wonderful day making brilliant memories, as a recognition for the amazing work they do for their families. We will be working with Devon Young Carers and local outdoor activity organisations, as well as the South West Coast Path Association.

Our aim is to take 60 young carers out.

To do this, we have set a target to raise £6000.

Sounds great – how do we join in?

Grab your walking shoes, arrange your fundraising,  plan your route and head out there!

• Take part as a team or on your own, you can each complete sections or you can walk the entire 60 miles.
• Download walks from our walks pages or you can see sections on the South West Coast Path website.
• Download a free a [email protected] challenge map to colour in as you complete sections.
• You can set up your own fundraising page or pay your donations in through our [email protected] team one. All of the funds raised will be used to take the Young Carers out on their Coastal fun days.

Fab – how long do we have?

You will have from the Launch on 3^rd August 2020, until the end of June 2021 to complete it – and we would love to hear how you are getting on!

Meet our Outstanding team!

The AONB team, Roger, Vanessa, Adam, Nicky, Diane and Nigel will be taking on the challenge themselves! They will complete the whole 60 miles before the deadline of the end of April 2021 and are kicking off their [email protected] challenge with the first leg being the eastern edge of the AONB from Elberry Cove to Berry Head. We have set ourselves a target of  £600 – if you don’t want to take part yourself, you can sponsor us!  We will be posting updates on our progress on our social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as on our map below!

Who are Young Carers?

A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps look after, or whose life is affected by, a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem.

Our friends at Devon Young Carers tell us that caring responsibilities can impact in many ways…

Mental health: young carers are more likely to experience emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression than their peers. 48% of young carers say their caring role makes them feel stress.

Education/development: many young carers find it difficult to manage their education alongside their responsibilities, with 1 in 20 young carers missing school due to their role as a carer. Young carers are 50% more likely to experience their own SEN.

Social isolation: young carers often find it difficult to access social opportunities as much as their peers, which can result in isolation from their friends. Over two-thirds of young carers say they have been bullied at school, and 80% say they are missing out on their childhood.

These young people will have had extra stress and pressure put on them during the Coronavirus pandemic.