Rotary Club's sponsored walk Best Foot Forward returning in July

In the last decade the sponsored walk has raised over £161,000 for good causes across the city.

Last year was the first event after an enforced two year absence due to Covid and organisers were delighted to clock up £20,000 in donations.

Incoming Rotary Club President Charles Cox said: "We were relieved and delighted that, after the gap of two years, the response was just as positive as it had been in the past.

"This event, created in Wolverhampton, is virtually unique in the UK and provides the opportunity to take exercise at your own pace and at your chosen time, while at the same time knowing that the calories you are burning off are going to improve the lives of others."

On Saturday, July 1, walkers will descend on Aldersley Stadium supported by friends and family. For 12 hours, from 8am to 8pm, walkers will be lapping the stadium's track for their good cause.

Each year Best Foot Forward supports three nominated charities and they split a charity pot of about £12,000 which is donated by 40 community-minded companies and organisations whose donations make the event possible.

The charities for 2023 are Wolverhampton Coronary Aftercare Support Group. The Haven, Wolverhampton and The Rotary Charitable Trust.

As well as providing support for the three event charities, Best Foot Forward is available to any other group or charity to raise funds through individual sponsorship of walkers.

Over the years this has provided over £65,000 for those choosing to take this tailor-made opportunity. The event even provides individual Sponsor Forms which can be printed off from the website.

Rotarian Geoff Lowndes, who heads up the club’s organising committee, has been helped with the logistics of the event.

After booking the stadium and the lap recording technology, the next stage involved approaching the patrons to secure the charity pot.

Well over half of the Patrons who supported this unknown concept in 2013 remain as continuing supporters ten years later.

A Best Foot Forward website was launched in May and entrants have already begun signing up for the walk.

Geoff Lowndes said: "Our aim was to get the website live for entries by May 1, when we planned to launch the event.

"It came as a surprise when, without any announcement, entries started to come in at 7.30am on May 2.

"It is clear that some Best Footers are already preparing to step it out for the benefit of others. Now we will be encouraging more groups who need to raise funds to help themselves by helping us.”

For full details and sponsorship forms visit www.wolverhamptonbestfootforward.com