The inaugural Jersey Electricity-sponsored Walk Into Light in aid of the Sanctuary Trust was a success with around 150 people, many of whom brought their dogs along, rising from their beds in the early hours of Saturday to walk the 5km Railway Walk from Corbiere to St Aubin.
Starting at 4.30am and carrying battery-powered candles, the group snaked its way along the pathway and was treated to a magnificent dawn chorus of birdsong and the sight of owls and bats before emerging into a superb sun rise in the bay.
The rain thankfully held off until the party reached St Aubin were everyone got to know each other over well-deserved teas, coffees and bacon rolls. Liberty Bus kindly provided a suttle bus to transport walkers back to their cars. Organiser and Sanctuary trustee Sean Power said: ‘I’ve been wanting to do this for two years and it’s exactly as I’d hope it would be; a lovely community event for all ages. My thanks go to Jersey Electricity and The Idea Works for making it possible. We’d like this to become an annual event and hopefully double the number of participants next year.’
The Walk, which raised over £6,000, was the first public event organised on behalf of Sanctuary Trust. It was designed to raise awareness of the work the charity does, providing support and accommodation for men facing homelessness due to a life crisis, whether mental, emotional, financial, relational or job loss, sometimes exacerbated by alcohol or drug misuse.
The Trust opened its doors in a former guest house in St Aubin in April 2011. Its aim is to help those men get their lives back together with re-built self-esteem and self-confidence and return to being useful members of Jersey society. Today Sanctuary has two sites, Sanctuary House in St Aubin and Sanctuary Lodge in St Peter, that can accommodate up to 25 men for varying periods of time, and has helped hundreds of men get their lives back on track.